


Red & Blue

by ShianneUrami



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human/Troll Society, Blackmail, Blackrom Flirting, Caliginous Romance | Kismesis, Chucklevoodoos, Drug Exchange, Gore, Guns, M/M, Miscellaneous Character Death, Nightmares, Psionics, Quadrant Confusion, Torture, Troll Cops, Unrequited Crush, Vague Dubious Consent, Xeno
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-03-26
Updated: 2013-05-17
Packaged: 2017-12-06 13:32:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 14
Words: 33,521
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/736247
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShianneUrami/pseuds/ShianneUrami
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Law enforcement and the gang life. Upholding family traditions and sinking to terrible levels to get what you want. Such is the way of the world sometimes. One would be surprised how much work it takes to dig 6 feet.</p><p>(On Hiatus)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Bag and Tag

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (On Hiatus)

The lights in the rear view mirror flashed in the dark before the sound hit him. Glancing into the mirror adrenaline dropped like a brick into his gut and Gamzee slowly pulled to the side of the road, sinking in his seat. A hand to his forehead, elbow on the steering wheel, a low rumbled groan in his chest.

Fucking fantastic.

Red and blue always have to ruin all the fun.

Gamzee scrubbed his hands against his face a few times, brushing his hair back out of his face, behind his horns. He dug his wallet out of his pocket, wracking his pan for where he last left the registration. Glove box or visor? God, the police always set him on edge!

He checked the visor first, dumping paperwork and letters into the passenger seat. His eyes flicked back up to the rearview mirror to see a slender troll stepping out of the car, looking like someone had just set his kid on fire or something. Jesus.

The butt of the flashlight tapped against his window while he was rifling through papers, registration in hand he turned to look right into it. His hand in front of his face to shield his eyes he blinked away the spots quickly, rolling the crank.

“What can I do for you this fine evenin’ officer?”

“Let me thay two thingth before we fall into routine. You’re high ath a kite, and it’th 4 in the morning.” He says, arms crossed over his thin chest. A troll on the police force, interesting. Dual set of horns, and well, would you look there...

Red and fucking blue.

This pig’s a psionic, awesome.

Gamzee cleared his throat, “I... have no idea what you’re gettin’ at with that first accusation, but that second one, I kinda can’t argue. Time’s not in my claws after all.”

The cop rubbed the bridge of his nose, setting his jaw before gesturing back down the road, “Do you have any idea how many timeth you’ve pathed that interthection? Any at all? It’th been nearly a dozen thir. I can thmell it on you. I don’t have to be doing thith. I’m not thuppothed to be on duty. But I can’t NOT do thomething about thith right now.”

Was it really that noticeable? He hadn’t actually had anything tonight, despite it being a really nice blend. He’d hung out and perhaps maybe gotten a secondhand buzz, but... it was probably on his clothes.

The psionic cleared his throat and Gamzee looked up, “Did you tha- say something? Sorry, I was.... thinking about something.”

Disgust and contempt smeared across his face, “Lithenthe and regithtration.”

He handed them over quickly, looking him over as the flashlight passed over the papers. He wasn’t bad looking. Scrawny, but that was kind of to be expected. Fireworks were never that big, but they always had a bang. Long thin legs and hips set just a little bit wider than he’d seen on a stick before.

Mmm, it’d be nice to see just how much those hips could take.

The light passed over his face, drawing his attention back and his leveled his eyes on him, “Makara, I’m going to have to athk you to pleathe get out of the car, handth up.”

He nodded once, unbuckling his seat belt before opening the door slowly and stepping out of the car. The policetroll shut it behind him, “Thtand there and walk the line to my cruither.” He gestured, a few steps ahead of him, watching him over his shoulder.

Red and blue eyes glowed faintly in the darkness. Gamzee would be nothing without red and blue but damn did he hate those colors. They left a nasty taste in his mouth because all they were used and stood for was just a big plot to kill his fun. Bunch of assholes. The cop was standing at the other end of the line, running his registration. He watched him over his arm as it processed, gesturing for him to walk.

The line warbled a little but he walked it just fine. Outside the car though he could feel the buzz in the back of his brain. It made his head weightless and his thoughts too fast, but too slow at the same time. It wasn’t heavy, but it was enough to pull his concentration away, footfalls just a little off the line now and again.

Gamzee looked up to watch the psionic again. He was leaning in his window, and messiahs did that ass look nice, and the curve of his legs. A thought skittered through his pan, bouncing off a few edges before disappearing. He stood at the bumper of the cruiser, tucking his hands into his pockets. The psionic pulled himself half out of the window, “Handth Makara.”

“Th-Sorry, sorry!” He said, putting them up. “Hey uh, mister officer, I never got your name.”

His flat eyes turned back to Gamzee and he sighed, “Offither Captor. Thollux.”

A quick snicker caught in his throat, “Your name is even out to get you! Oh man, I’m so sorry dude!” He laughed, trying hard not to.

A snarl at his lips, Sollux pulled himself all the way out of the car, “Keep it up Makara, keep it up and I’ll jutht cart your carnie ath down to the thtation for not only being clearly high off your ath, but altho for harathing an offither.”

Eyebrows furrowed and he cleared his throat, “Is that... a threat Mister Captor?” Deep indigo eyes narrowed, his mouth turning down in a grimace.

Sollux cocked his head to the side, the light behind his eyes flaring, “It’th not a threat. I’m telling you how it will go, or thingth won’t be pretty. Are you rethithting?” He asked, two thick sparks winding off his arms as warning.

The taller troll stood taller, glancing around with a sneer across his face, “Maybe I am. I don’t see any back up nowhere around here for your scrawny ass. Maybe I am resisting. You ain’t on duty, I wanna see you do something firework.”

“Makara, you are really only digging youthelf into a deeper hole. I thugg-” Sollux started.

Gamzee flashstepped, slamming him sideways into the hood of his cruiser, knocking his hat off to grab a fistful of hair and press his face against the still warm metal. He leaned over him, hissing in his ear, “Suggest what pissblood?” Gamzee rolled his hips up against Sollux’s ass, rocking the car with a few shameless thrusts, rubbing his face into the metal with a sick grin.

Two quick sparks before the psionic growled, large arcs of energy throwing the highblood skidding the pavement. He rolled a few times before coming to a stop on his back. He sat disoriented for a moment, honestly not having expected that much power from the little troll. He’d dealt with psionics before, but that was not what he’d seen. Gamzee shook it off, but before the night sky stopped spinning Sollux’s face was hovering over his.

The cuffs clamped tight and he was yanked to his feet with a fist in his hair and psionics. He struggled against the bonds before a deep shock wracked his body with spasms and he nearly hit his knees. Hissing and growling, orange seeping into his eyes. Gamzee could feel the edge of the chucklevoodoos clawing at his own thinkpan. Before he was able to unleash hell across the other’s pan, a thought hit him.

Sollux really thought he’d be staying in jail if he went? That was funny. No Makara that had ever been convicted had ever been found guilty. His father had been convicted and let loose more times than he could count, and they had solid proof he was head of one of the largest crime syndicates in the city. Yet he was found innocent every time. Of course, Gamzee knew why, but... It was a family secret.

His anger melted into an air of confidence and smarm. Okay, he’d play along. Yeah. He’d play along and when the judge pounded the gavel and ruled him innocent, like he always did, he’d just laugh and walk out a free troll. This little mishap would be such a fun little game. He was going to make the most of it! He smiled to himself as the grip in his hair tightened, lowering his head into the car.


	2. On Display

The backdoor to the cruiser slammed shut before he climbed into the front, raking a hand through his short hair before starting the car. A quick look into the mirror showed him the other troll was slumping in his seat, fiddling with the cuffs in his lap. Procedure was to get them behind his back, but it was after 4 at this point, he just wanted to get him into the station so he could get home and hopefully get a few hours of sleep before his shift later tonight.

“You’re not getting out of them Gamzee, quit trying. You better get comfortable, it’ll be a while.”

A small hum behind the bars, “Don’t worry ‘bout that, planned on it.” Gamzee sneered through the bars, hands in his lap.

Sollux shook his head, pulling past the car to turn around and head back into town.

The ride was quiet for the most part, slow now that rain had started crashing down around them. A small sigh from the backseat and Sollux glanced back in the darkness. Gamzee had his head turned to the side, watching out the window. He thought nothing of it, until it happened again, closer to a hitch than a sigh the second time.

Cutting through a patch of trees the moon peeked through the clouds, lighting up the road and the interior of the vehicle. Pants bunched around his knees, two fingers in his nook, fingers gripping tightly as he pulled strokes across his bulge, the ridges alongside the underside pulling through his fingers, dotting the backseat with drops of indigo.

A deep inhale, his toes curling in his toes, Sollux tried to keep his voice level, “Makara. What in God’th name do you think you’re doing?” He asked, keeping his eyes off the mirror.

“You... told me to get comfortable, didn’t you?” The deep voice laughed, groaning through gritted teeth.

“I told you-” He started, then realized he was yelling and cut back with a small hiss, “I told you to get comfortable ath a bit of an ironic note, thinthe you know, you’re in cuthtody! Put your goddamn bulge away Makara!”

Gamzee’s face melted into nothing but bliss, the rhythmic sound of the metal clinking together coupled with the slick squelches as he fucking his fingers made Sollux’s jaw lock. The unconscious part of his brain was betraying him, a coiling in his own stomach and a quickening to his breathing. The smell of sweat and sex wrapping around him and his knuckles paled gripping the steering wheel.

He growled low in his throat, muttering under his breath, “I don’t get paid enough for thith.”

“Mmm, Sollux.” Gamzee purred, panting quietly, licking his fangs and leering into the mirror. He closed his eyes, arching his hips up off the seat, “Augh, right there. Fuck, fill me with your gold.”

Sollux clamped down on a small whine in the back of his throat, worrying away at his lower lip in some feigned attempt to stop him for hearing the low pleased chirps from the backseat. When humans or trolls moaned it was nice, but the small trills trolls could produce hit on such a deeper level. Species specific pleads for more. He clenched his teeth shut, squirming a bit in his seat, a dampness between his legs making him uncomfortable.

He glanced back, which in hindsight was likely a bad idea, to see a patch of purple staining across the backseat, one foot up on the passenger seat and his hips angled to not only thrust to the last knuckle, but put himself up on display, smiling with an open mouth at the policetroll. Sollux growled and pulled the car to the side of the road, throwing open his door and almost thanking the cold pouring rain for helping shock him back into something resembling professional.

He opened the door and slid the troll across the seat with a pull of energy, yanking him out of the car and slamming him back against it, his hands fisted in his shirt, “You think thith ith funny?”

“Motherfuckin’ hilarious.” He panted.

Gamzee’s bulge snaked up, hooking under the edge of Sollux’s belt, dragging dark lines across his clothing with their close proximity. He seethed at the other troll, snapping his teeth at him, pulling him forward to slam him back again. The troll inhaled with the impact, laughing with a smile of nothing but smugness and and edge of malice.

“What ith tho funny about thith? Ith it that you’re tho lotht in your own head you don’t thee how much shit you’re in? Or ith it me? You laughing at a twig that’th showing tho much thelf rethtraint not to thmear your paint acroth the pavement?”

A honking laugh, hips bucking up against the policeman’s. His breath stunk in Sollux’s face, but his voice was cold, his eyes sharp. Fangs bared in something caught between a smile and a snarl. His words skirted across Sollux’s think pan with a musical edge to them, dragging the darkness up from the corners and pulling it over him. It sent an icy shiver down his spine, the cold rain pounding down on them not making this any easier.

“You ain't just the fun house, bro. You're a motherfucking carnival!”

The psionic grabbed his hands, undoing his cuffs, avoiding his eyes, and trying not to let the bulge coiling around his wrist bother him. He’d get this bastard on sexual harassment on top of everything else. He needed to sit and rot for a while. Not that he wasn’t already rotting himself from the inside out. A million and ten bad habits ran through his thoughts and he held the highblood’s wrist with a loops of electricity.

“Pull your pants up.” He said quietly, flicking the indigo on his wrist off across the pavement.

“Aw, what’s the fun in that though?” He asked, rubbing his wrists, his bulge coiled over itself between them.

“Now Makara.” Sollux hissed, practically vibrating. It was so much work not to smear this shitstain across the road. His job meant more to him than the satisfaction that would bring though, so he kept himself mostly under control.

“Solbro, you got any tickets left for entrance to that wicked carnival? I know you’d be a fun night.” He asked, leaning back against the cruiser and making a show of licking his lips and fangs.

This was beyond unprofessional, and he really needed to just get him back to the station and booked before he did something he’d really regret. When he put in the report tonight Sollux knew he’d have Terezi screaming down his neck about how ridiculous he was and how it was a miracle he even still had his job and any number of things she could think of. She was going to rip him apart, so making that less would be good.

That didn’t really sink in as much as it should have though, not with how he was being. He snatched the bulge in front of him, sending a shock through it before pushing it away and wiping his hand across Gamzee’s shirt. Livid he spoke, “Now.”

A small yelp as the shock ran through him, bringing a satisfied smile to Sollux’s lips. A rumble in the bottom of his chest before he yanked his pants up. Gamzee’s bulge coiled in a thick knot against fabric as he closed the button. Sollux turned him around, hissing when he bent his head down to crack his horns into the lowblood’s. He yanked on his shoulder, pulling his hands behind his back this time.

The cuffs clicked into place and Gamzee scoffed quietly, “If I end up with a knot in my bulge you’re working out the kinks Captor.”

Sollux chuckled under his breath, pushing drenched hair out of his face before grabbing another fistful of those oceans of black, guiding him down into the cruiser for the second time tonight, making sure he hit his horns on the top of the car, “Gonna need a crowbar I think.”

With his lips in a tight line he whined quietly, tugging at the cuffs. Before Sollux shut the door though, the highblood looked him over once more, eyes scanning him hungrily.. His blue pants held a yellow tint in a small patch on one of his thighs. He’d tried so hard not to let it show. Instincts harder to suppress. All of the fabric was dark and soaked through with the rain, which he’d hoped would cover it. But if the sneer on Makara’s face was anything to go by, the yellow patch and the smell of warmth barely there under his harsh tones of cold, he knew the reaction he’d cause.

With a sharp inhale he slammed the door shut. He stood in the rain for a moment, shuddering against the cold. And maybe a little against the pailing instincts clawing at his guts.

Just a little though.

He REALLY didn’t get paid enough for this.


	3. The Offer

The door slammed shut and Sollux paced in front of the table, back and forth in the small room at least a dozen times before he actually looked at the criminal, whose hands were cuffed to the center of the table. When he turned his head to look at him he beamed up at him, hands bridged over the ring casually.

He glared down at him for a moment before Gamzee commented, “Was gonna ask, ‘your place or mine’, but this works. I could work with this.” He narrowed his eyes, “Uncuff me and I’ll show you what I mean. Drag your ass back and forth through the carnival til all you know is my name.”

His nose twitched, baring his teeth at the highblood,

“You will be up on one count of driving while under the influenthe, rethithting arretht, athaulting an offither, and thexual harathment. With all that thtacked up, you could be put away for life Makara. You really think you’re going to like prithon?” Sollux said calmly, the barely contained edge of anger obvious from the shake of a few words.

“Sounds to me like you’ve got some loophole. A nice little ‘but’, or a ‘unless’ waiting in the wings.” Gamzee said, leaning back in his chair, eyes falling to his ass when he mentioned the options.

“Makara ith a name I’ve read on too many fileth. You are not the only one of your family to come through here, are you?”

A small huff, “Gotta uphold family tradition you know? What do they got to do with this?”

“They got plenty to do with thith.” Sollux mocked Gamzee’s speech pattern, “They are wanted, and you are related. They’ve been trouble for uth far longer than you. You’re jutht a deadpanned idiot who I caught thwerving.” He shook his head slowly, crossing his arms over his chest and glancing up at the camera on the wall.

Gamzee followed his eyes, looking to the camera then to the policetroll, “There’s very few things in this wicked world thicker than blood bro.” He quirked an eyebrow, cocking his head to the side, “If you catch my drift that is.”

Sollux pulled the second chair out from the table, sitting down and leaning in, “I’ll cut you a deal then.”

Oh, this was interesting. This was interesting indeed.

Gamzee shifted forward, “You’d cut a poor sinner a deal? Truly? You’d shake the hand of the devil for your soul Sollux?”

“How can I get the information you have?” Sollux asked, getting right to the chase, nothing but the case on his mind right now.

A small chuckle sparked into a fire, the highblood pulling on the cuffs with deep laughs, thankfully the table was bolted to the floor. Sollux twitched in irritation, sparking once before Gamzee was able to catch his breath, sighing and leaning into his hands to wipe away a tear.

“Oh man, you still smell like sex.”

He slammed his hands down to the table, red and blue sparking off his tongues, “Augh! I-”

Sollux spun around, hand up. A thick jolt of red and blue, twisting in an erratic web slammed into the camera. It hissed and ground and whined before cutting out. He whipped his head back, “Tell me what I need to know now Gamzee. I won’t ask again.”

“Why is it that you want this info? Huh? What good is it gonna do you? Why are you so up in arms about this mess? Me and my fam have NOTHING to do with your scrawny piggly self.”

Sollux clamped his teeth shut, jaw tight. He swallowed hard, “You don’t need to know. I just need to know what you know.” His claws bit into his palms, fists firm against the table, “Now, tell me what I have to do. What do you want from me before you tell me what I need to know?”

His eyebrows shot up, legitimately surprised, “You... Hmmm, that’s a hard one. Depends. What are you willing to put up for grabs if I put up my cache of knowing?”

The cop sat down slowly, running a hand through his hair, “I don’t want to play gameth anymore Gamzee. I’m tho thick of gameth.”

“But games can be so entertaining. Your mind pitted against your enemy. Overtaking them and crushing them. Listening to them kick and scream and beg for mercy and the pleasant sound of the crunch their bones make. I think you don’t like games because you haven’t been playing the right ones.” His voice had taken a deadly serious tone, something dark and hidden swimming just behind his eyes.

A rock of ice dropped into Sollux’s guts, settling itself in and seeping his warmth away. His breath came a little harder when he did inhale, but he didn’t say anything. He would wait until Gamzee said something himself. He sat back in the metal chair, arms crossed. He could wait all night if he had to.

“I want all charges dropped. Immunity if you wanna get really technical like.” Gamzee said, stone faced.

Sollux blinked quickly, a smile gracing his lips, “You... excuthe me? You want me to what?”

“This could potentially be the biggest bust this unit has ever seen, and all I want from you, is the security that I ain’t gonna have a sounder of swine slamming down my door. I wanna sleep easy at night knowing I’m not gonna end up in jail. Free spirit like me? I’d die within a week, and that ain’t no way to go. You wanna punish me, make me suffer. If I’m dead, I’m not whining, am I?” He took a deep breath, offering up open palms, “All I want is for you to clear my name and make sure I keep my ass out of prison.”

Red and blue scanned over his features, taking in each point of his face, one at a time. He rubbed his own wrists, thinking things over before he jumped to anything. Sollux licked his lips,

“Could there be anything elthe you could think to add to the litht?” He bit, words laced with sarcasm. “Anything at all?”

“Mmm, now that you mention it...” He started, inspecting his claws casually. He glanced up, catching Sollux’s eye. A small flicker of purple, a shiver running down the psionic’s spine quickly, sinking into his bones and making everything lock up.

“I’ll blow this whole case wide open for you, as long as you’re mine. In every sense of the word.”


	4. Tools of the Trade

“You...” Sollux stared, dumbfounded by what he was hearing. He sat slack jawed for a moment before he was able to speak, “You... want me on you every beck and call as a fuck toy? Ith that really what thith ith?”

Gamzee tugged on the cuffs again, still stoic and serious, “I could be a hell of a lot crueler Captor. This is mild compared to the other things my pan could conjure. Count your blessings.”

Another deep shiver wracked his body, showing in a shake of his shoulders. Gamzee simply smiled. He knew what he was doing to the little lowblood. He knew that his words, no matter what he said anymore, held a musical edge. He knew the chucklevoodoos were teasing at the edges of his mind ever so quietly.

Pushing at his pan, jostling his consciousness. The lilting edges of his words tore down all inhibition, breaking down a good portion of common sense and logical thinking. Right now, Sollux wasn’t thinking long term. Right now he was thinking about fixing this situation here and now at any cost. And if the way his lips pulled back and his chest rose with a deep breath, Gamzee was sure he’d won even before the psionic said anything.

“Okay.” He said quietly, “You have me, and I have you, and we’re going to expothe thethe people for all they’ve ever done and they will be put away for a long, LONG time. A few lifetimeth if I get what I want.”

That was the best thing he’d heard in far too long. Almost music to his ears. A smile teasing at the edges of his lips, he pulled at his restraints, “If you are really behind this, we can seal the deal. Let me outta these, exchange a few things and we can go our separate ways for now.”

Sollux patted his jacket pockets, pulling out a pad of paper that had surprisingly survived the downpour that he could still hear pounding down outside, a pen and the keys to the handcuffs. He scribbled down his own address and cell phone number, sliding the materials across the table. The juggalo looked them over, then the keys and sighed, writing out his own information in some god awful chicken scratch with a winking smiley at the end. Sollux’s guts twisted, but he did what he said he would and unlocked the cuffs.

The clang of the metal cuffs hitting the table echoed in his head, the scrape of the chair grinding across the floor blanketed his brain. But it was the mass of the highblood vaulting himself over the table and slamming him back into the wall that got his heart racing. His breath left him in a rush, a weak groan and pain shooting through him. A sharp crackle of psionics leapt out, pure reflex, shocking through Gamzee. He twitched for a moment, his hands squeezing tighter around his arms, tearing claws through his uniform with unconscious movements, lightning coursing through his muscles.

Quickly he leaned in with a kiss that was nothing but teeth and spite and lust. He bit into Sollux’s lip, pulling a small whine from the policetroll, growling against him. A sharp tug of sparks at his hips, the lowblood’s arms pinned, and he brought their hips together, rolling his up against the larger troll.

“You’re dithguthting.” He growled.

“Exchange is exchange, and you agreed Captor. Quit your bitching. You can’t be backing outta this now.” Gamzee laughed, pulling his head to the side to tear more at his uniform, staking claim in more ways than one, exposing his shoulder before he bit down into it, rocking his hips back.

“Augh! I- You need that f-fucking crowbar yet?” Sollux hissed, clawing at his chest with his free hand.

“You’ve got mind powers Thollux, I’m sure you won’t have too much trouble getting me loosened up.” He mocked, dragging his tongue over the wound slowly.

Claws dragged across flesh, digging into skin and dripping gold and purple across grey skin and torn clothing. Pants through the bites and growls, hisses through clenched teeth and low moans pressed against one another’s pulses.

“Will you cut that shit out? Every minute you wathte dicking around ith another minute clother to the next-” Sollux started, groaning quietly at another bite to his shoulder, “The next shift. If they know you’re here, or that I let you go, we’re both fucked.”

He hooked his fingers into the front of Gamzee's jeans, popping the button and breaking the zipper with a yank, “Theal the deal and get your fucking ath out of here Makara. Don’t make me regret thith.”

Gamzee grabbed a fistful of his hair, pulling his head back, “You seem almost eager Sollux?” Leaned his head in and licking across his ear, “I could smell it on you earlier. It’s still lingering at the edges. You want this too. You broke so easy.”

Instead of answering him, knowing he really couldn’t deny the accusations, he pressed two fingers up into his cool nook, pistoning them a few times in the already dripping tightness. He nearly melted against him, grinding his hips down against his hand. Sollux hooked his fingers once before pulling them out, wiping them across Gamzee’s chest.

The rest of their clothes were shed in as close to wearable condition as possible. Both preferred to leave the station with something at the very least. Flashing everyone while slinking home in the dark was just embarrassing. Hilarious, but kind of awful. An unsung agreement to leave the shirt on his back but ravage the other stupid.

Sollux was one leg out of his slacks when the highblood sneered down at him, “Stroke of delicious serendipity right here, won’t you say?” He curled a finger against the two yellow bulges twined together between them. He ran a finger down the ridges lining the underside of his own, “Can’t really think of a more... interesting combination.”

A small spark at the contact, his head heavy with the pheromones clogging up the air around them. Gamzee took advantage of his temporary sluggish nature, spinning them around and bending him over the table. The chair clattered to the floor, making them both cringe with how it echoed in the small room.

Pressing his face into the table like he’d done earlier with the hood of the car, he pushed up into him quickly. Sollux’s claws scratched across the metal, his teeth and horns aching with the sound of it, the highblood tightening up as well. The yellowblood spread his legs, raising his hips just a bit, trying to find some comfort in the pain. Thick ridges dragged into him, a loop of ice coiling inside him, thrashing unexpectedly, erratic.

His bulges pulled back, wrapping around the base of Gamzee’s. One hand held his arm, claws sunken deep into his arm, cold dripping down his thighs, eased by his own warmth. Breath hitched and staggered, low insults and curses, the slap of soaked skin was the cherry on top. Gamzee leaned over Sollux, heaving breaths in his ear and a crushing weight pinning him. His own inhales were shallow and fast, sparking heavily with each thrust. A few scorches lined the top of the table, which would be hard to explain, along with an array of arching burns across any skin Gamzee had put in range, tracing jagged purple across his arms.

Gamzee was as much the psionic’s tool as Sollux was to the juggalo.

A deep growl rattled through the both of them before the indigo pressed in deep, one last harsh thrash before he filled Sollux’s nook with a cold rush. Sollux’s toes curled painfully, shivering under the pressure. Then he was left empty, a set of claws raking down his back, his nook gaping at the loss. Panting against the table he pushed himself up to watch the other collecting up his clothing. He growled low in his throat,

“A deal ith a deal Makara! Exchange for exchange! You’re not running out on me now, don’t even think about it.”

A heavy burst of psionics pinned him to the wall. Gamzee snarled at him, gnashing his teeth, “Let me down!”

Sollux scooped the handcuffs up again and Gamzee’s eyes narrowed. He looked over them, turning them over in his hand, “You thaid fair was fair. We’re thealing thith deal proper you bulgelicker. 'You can't be backing outta thith now'.”

A primal rage burned behind his eyes as they bore into the cop sitting on the table. Flickering purple lit behind the fire, the light hanging above him flickering with a shake in the highblood’s shoulders. Brows furrowed he looked from the light back down to Gamzee before it hit him.

Suddenly he was stumbling through the cold, wind whipping and lashing across his bare skin, slicing him open and freezing him over. A column of ice embedded itself into his spine, locking up his muscles. All he could hear was the wind and screaming. Fear and agony and torment ripping through his head at a million miles an hour. There was no source, nothing to fear but the fear itself. His blood pusher slammed against his chest cavity too fast and too hard, his breathing shallow and fast. All the colors in the room ran together and his skin felt too tight, closing in and suffocating him.

And then it was over. All of the hypersensitivity and fear and frigid weight on his bones vanished.

He pushed himself up on shaking arms. Gamzee was gone, along with his clothes. The door was open a crack, the sound of rain had stopped. He scrubbed dried tears off his face, shaking feeling back into his arms. A ragged sigh and he let his head fall against the lip of the table.

He righted the chair and mopped up their mess with his ruined jacket, his shirt and pants thankfully salvageable. The paper with Gamzee’s information was on the floor under their mess, in one piece. Scribbled across it in the same chicken scratch Sollux read:

 _7 Oak, 2AM, twenty to seven, sopor trade, take the big guns._ ♠

He scraped a claw over the spade before tucking it away into his pocket. He ached everywhere, left unsatisfied and then... whatever that was. He’d been pissy before, then the blackmail and everything. Tonight was really not his definition of a good night. He just wanted to get home, patch himself up and sink into his sheets. He’d go to his moirail or matesprit for kismesis aftercare, but he had neither. Normally the kismesis would do that when they knew their quadrantmate had no one else, but as Gamzee knew virtually nothing about Sollux, he’d taken off at the first chance to save his own ass, just like Sollux had told him to do.

The yellowblood dragged his hands down his face, all traces they’d been in the room removed.

“Ohoho~ Chief Redglare isn’t going to be happy about thiiiis.” Her voice was singsong and happy, startling him. Sollux spun around to face the teal with a too wide smile and a far off stare. She smirked up at him, tapping her cane against the floor, “Can’t waaaiiit to smell you get your just desserts.”


	5. All Our Wounds

The smaller troll skirted around Sollux, a hand to his bare chest before pulling it back quickly, “No shirt? Mmm, you really went all out in here, huh? Loosen up the bolts on the table, did you?”  
  
“My shirt’th right here thankth! It’th jutht... ripped.” He said, running a finger along one of the tears. He could sew it up easy enough though.  
  
“Oooh la la. A _spade_ no less. I’m impressed Captor, I never took you for one who’d like pain. Not with how scrawny you are.” She turned back to face him, her hand resting on the table. Her smile hadn’t left her lips, but an eyebrow was raised, questioning, “So, who is this mysterious troll who’s come a’callin’?”  
  
“No one TZ, drop it.” He sighed, pulling on his shirt, catching the tear in the cloth on one of his horns and groaning as it ripped farther. “Nothing happened, and you have theen nothing.”  
  
“Right you are. I haven’t seen a thing in _sweeps_. But, that doesn’t mean I don’t have evidence of what happened here. This is a crime scene. The crime being not telling me about your love life. Spill.” Terezi cackled, jabbing him in the ribs, “Who’s rocking this sack of bones?”  
  
Sollux slapped her hand away, “I jutht told you there ith nothing going on and I don’t have a clue what you’re talking about. Get bent Pyrope.”  
  
She looked over her nails, then looked over her glasses with unseeing eyes, “The chief really isn’t going to think this is as funny as I do. The gavel’s going to come down and you won’t be around anymore. You don’t have a lot of chances left Captor.”  
  
His jaw set and he was tempted to leave right then and there. Words whispered through him though, and he stood strong, even if he was battered and bruised, “You can’t tell her.”  
  
“Oh, I can though. I’m blind, not mute. What’s in it for me Sollux? Fair trade deal here.” Terezi leaned on the table, tapping her cane against the floor again, resting her hands on the dragon’s head.  
  
“I’m getting thick of trading shit.” He grumbled. He rubbed his arms quickly, avoiding looking at her.  
  
“What was that Captain Appleberry?” She cocked her head to the side, a question mark written across her face.  
  
“Nothing.” Sollux shook his head, “I’ve been up for more than 24 hourth TZ, I have bruitheth on bruitheth, I ache everywhere, and I think I’m gonna be thick. Can I jutht go? Calling in thick today.”  
  
“Present to the jury one thing tomorrow and you will be off the hook.” She said, putting one clawed finger up. “One thing is all I ask of you and I will commit perjury and lie to our judge to get you off the hook.”  
  
He stifled a groan at her lawhouse metaphors. If she was so fond of lawyers and prosecutors and all that crap, why the hell hadn’t she become one of those instead of a peon policetroll? Sollux didn’t claim to know, and he wasn’t even close enough with her to care. He knew his job, and he knew that it had nothing to do with the things she spouted. But if she was willing to cover his ass, he’d likely do what she wanted. He did owe her; Terezi was sticking her neck out something awful for him. He didn’t have too many chances left around here before Chief Redglare booted him. And the last thing he needed was to get fired. Not before he’d brought those bastards to their knees.  
  
“What ith it?”  
  
“Skittlegrubs!” Terezi smile, beaming and baring all her teeth. “Lots and lots of skittlegrubs.”  
  
“You... I don’t really have a way out of thith, do I? Fine. Feel like a child shadily dealing candy under the thlide on the playground.” Sollux stood in the doorway, holding it open for Terezi to follow.  
  
“Oh please Captor, you know all the dealings happened by the swingset.” Terezi chuckled, tapping as she followed close behind him.  
  
“I don’t remember. Thtayed inthide motht of the time. Nerd, remember?” He held the outside door open for her, letting her walk out and down the steps ahead of him, his wadded up mess of a uniform jacket in hand. It was stained yellow and purple, and thankfully it was too shredded to be salvaged. Toss it in the trash and be done with it.  
  
Walking around the side of the precinct, Sollux lifted up the lid for the dumpster, dropping his ruined uniform inside, digging his keys out of his pocket. “But the lipth are zipped TZ. You won’t be mentioning thith to anyone.”  
  
She stood in front of his vehicle with a soft smile, “Whatever could you be talking about?”  
  
Leaned against his door before sliding in he nodded. “Thankth.”  
  
He could see the laughter in the shake of her shoulders as he pulled out of the parking lot, homebound. He needed to patch up what he could and call in, and then get some sleep. An uneasiness settled into his gut on the drive, the streets empty this early in the morning, but the sun working its way up over the city. Gamzee knew his address, and Gamzee was dangerous. He’d outright stated he felt black for him, the note to prove it burning a hole in his pocket. But Sollux was still unsure if he felt the same. A deal was a deal, but the deal was not a quadrant. Stated black affection meant he was in no risk of getting himself killed in his sleep, but...  
  
Sollux was going to have trouble sleeping today.  
  
And when he shut the door, toeing off his shoes and kicking them to the side, he knew this was going to be harder than he anticipated. His muscles were stiff, locked up for however long after whatever it was the highblood had done, adrenaline pumping through his body and everything working too fast and not quick enough.  
  
Stripping ripped and stiff clothing as he walked, the scorching water from the showerhead was a welcomed kindness from some higher power. It turned his skin bright yellow with the pressure and the temperature. He let it beat against his back, claws scraping against the tile as the water rushed against the scratches Gamzee had left. Sollux cleaned out the others as best he could, the smell of iron and soap and heat clinging to the bathroom.  
  
Most of his cuts were shallow, the bruises nasty black across his skin. He was able to leave over half of his wounds alone; they’d be closed by morning. A few needed to be wrapped in gauze. He did run antibacterial over all of them though. He wasn’t dumb. His psionics were shaky when he ran a line down the cuts along his back, thin but deep. Gripping the sink until his hands ached, by the time he had pressed the tape down he was exhausted. His legs shook under his meager weight and his fireworks fizzled at the edges.  
  
He crawled up onto his bed, pulling the blankets over him with sluggish arms before hissing at the weight, throwing it off to curl in on himself. A moirail would be really nice, someone to just... vent to. Sollux sighed into his bed, fumbling blind on the bedside table until he had phone in hand.  
  
It was nearly 8 in the morning.  
  
He thumbed through his contacts, letting it ring through.  
  
“Hello?”  
  
“He-Hello, Chief Redglare?” He staggered.  
  
“Mr. Captor?”  
  
“Yeth. I... I am taking a thick day, not feeling well unfortunately.”  
  
“Oh, that is indeed unfortunate. You will be in tomorrow, yes?” She asked, voice stern.  
  
“Yeth ma’am.” Sollux nodded against the phone.  
  
“Then rest up, Mr. Captor, and work on feeling better. I expect a report on my desk tomorrow morning on your patrol last night.”  
  
A rock hit his stomach, heavy and making him squirm, “Yeth... Chief.”  
  
“Sleep well Sollux.”  
  
“Thank you.” He croaked. The line dead after that.  
  
He left the phone against his ear for a few moments, listening to the dead air before closing it. It flickered with a new message and he opened it again. It was an unfamiliar number, but he opened it anyway.  
  
 _i know what happened to them_  
 _I KNOW WHY YOU ARE DOING THIS_  
 _good luck_  
 _YOU’RE GONNA NEED IT_  
 _:o)_  
  
Sollux tossed his phone back onto the stand, curling in on himself, pulling the blankets up under his chin, trying to ignore how heavy it felt around him. Instead he thought of arms around him; any would do. Holding him when the darkness and the memories swept him away. He slept, but like every night before, and every night to come, it was fitful and filled with all the things he hated and cherished.  
  
A knock at the door.  
A tall human took his hat off.  
He said words that broke Sollux.  
He crouched and patted his shoulder, then left him to grieve.  
And he grieved, for a long long time.  
In some ways, he still was.  
People say when you lose a loved one, the pain eases with time.  
  
How long would it take until he felt that change?


	6. April Showers

Sollux tugged at his shirt, trying to get it to fall off his frame right. He pulled back one sleeve to look at the time. Swiping his badge and pocketing it he locked his door behind him, staggered steps down the stairs and out into the street below, to his car in the alley next to his apartment.

7 Oak, 2AM, twenty to seven, sopor trade, take the big guns.

His gun felt heavy on his hip, and he hoped he wouldn’t have to use it tonight. It was foolish to go at this alone, but he had also just let an assumedly powerful gang member out of custody, let him fuck him, and agreed to keep him out of jail and be his fuck toy for information. Poking around a drug exchange wasn’t really going to get him any more trouble than he was already liable to be in. If the Chief found out about this, he’d have no job, and wouldn’t have a chance of being hired anywhere in this profession again. It might even go so far as to say he was dealing with the gang and he’d be lumped in with the criminals.

He shivered against the warm April air, hoping his training would keep him out of harm’s way, and if that didn’t work, hoping his psionics would allow him to run.

* * *

“I will be your ticket taker, come inside, it’s a dream...” Gamzee muttered quietly, standing on the scaffolding overlooking the warehouse. It didn’t creak when he moved, but his footsteps did echo through the empty building.

The sound of tires passing by and his curiosity was piqued. He crept down the stairs along the side of the building, peeking his head around to glance out the window. By the time he was looking out, a curtain of black helping to obscure his shape, a figure down the street with its hands jammed in its pockets could be seen walking slowly. It glanced over its shoulder once or twice, studying the street. The four little horns were unmistakable.

He watched Sollux walk up the street, civie clothes on his back, which was admittedly a nice change. Not as nice as seeing him with nothing on, but he could deal. Gamzee turned away from the window, words barely passing his lips, “Enter the funhouse of mirrors bro.”

The doors into the warehouse were opened to the night, the yellowblood sneaking slowly, crouched low to the ground, snaking his head around the doorway to look inside. Empty.

Sollux stepped a few paces in, shoulders taut, body strung tight as a bow. He expected the worst, a building full of trolls ready to cull him on sight, but he found nothing. Nothing but the creak in the metal frame as the wind passed through from the harbor. The hand on his hip dropped and he let his shoulders slump. He’d lied. He’d lied about the whole thing. What an asshole!

He half turned towards the exit again, done having wasted his night on this, when Gamzee pounced on him, wrapping strong arms around him quickly and clamping his hand over his mouth. He leaned in to whisper in his ear, “No one can hear you scream.” Teeth closed over the shell, tugging gently as he led him up the stairs.

The psionic sparked and thrashed in his grip, making the metal structure creak and groan under them. Gamzee stopped them halfway, looking out the window. He held Sollux’s head still, hissing, “Cut that shit out. Look! I’m tryin’a keeping your ass outta harm’s way. Now quit your squirmin’ and sparkin’ and just go with it. Not gonna see your motherfucking ass get culled because you thought it’d be a good idea to come alone after I told you to bring the big guns. You ain’t big guns Sol, you’re like a busted squirtgun. Now... Shut. Up.” He pushed his face away, scraping claws along his jaw.

Sollux stopped his moving, letting Gamzee lead him up the stairs and halfway out the scaffolding. It was dark enough that they wouldn’t be seen up here. He’d thought this through, knowing Sollux would come alone. He wasn’t a pan rotted idiot, he knew what he was doing. He ALWAYS knew what he was doing.

Gamzee sat the two of them down in the middle of the metal structure, high above the warehouse floor. After years of psionic and police training, Sollux thankfully wasn’t afraid of heights. Gamzee sat Sollux on the edge, sitting behind him, a hand over his mouth loosely just in case. The highblood hooked a claw at the doorway, silent now. Sollux watched the entirety of the room from this position, gazing down at the people filing in slowly.

“Slick, I thought we went over this!” The largest gestured to the room, and to all the people. Seven on one side, twenty on the other. Just as Gamzee had said. “You really don’t gotta be bringing this many cronies with with every time. S’not like I bite.”

The troll snapped his teeth, a few of the men wincing. Honking laughter that made Sollux’s bones ache and blood run cold echoed through the room before he sighed, “You will never cease to amuse my poor motherfucking self.”

A set of claws slowly ran over Sollux’s flesh, hard enough to leave welts, not enough to elicit a noise. Sollux did bite down into his hand though, earning him a cuff to the head. He halted the reflex to spark, knowing the pop and fizzle would be noticed. Gamzee blew a laugh against his ear, and moving farther south, slipping past the line of his jeans. The line of his nook between his legs was warm and he knew just how hot it was deeper.

Delving two fingers in quickly, hooking them to hit as deep as he could, Sollux’s muscles tightened. He wanted to move, wanted to make noise, throw him off and scratch him up. Spark and hiss and throw him out a window, out into the harbor. But of course the clown was smarter than that. So instead of what he wanted, Sollux opted to rake his claws across the arms around him, biting into the hand over his mouth.

Almost silently, “We can supply anything that your heart desires.”

Down below the tall troll with horns not unlike Gamzee’s gestured, and someone in the back of the crew brought a suitcase forward, handing it off to him. He turned it towards the small group of humans in suits, opening it slowly. Sopor powder, filtered down to nothing but its purest form. A cup of it could make gallons, and the case was full.

Sollux’s eyes went wide with it, shuddering around the fingers in his nook, dripping gold down his thighs. A ragged inhale to keep from whining against him, he rolled his hips up quickly, earning him a nip to the ear. “Move and this creaks. Don’t.”

The troll below pulled out a few of the small bags of green powder, tossing one to the human at the front, a scarred up man with an eyepatch. He caught it, and the troll closed the case up. The human named Slick looked over the small bag of green powder in his hand before looking the troll up and down. “How much do I owe ya?”

“What’d’ya say about an even quarter?” He sneered, slinging the case over his shoulder.

Slick stiffened. “A quarter for a single case! They don’t call you His Hilariousness for nothin’! Bustin’ a gut over here Makara.”

Sollux went stiff against Gamzee, eyes flicking from the exchange below them, then up to meet the purple eyes. Hungry and excited he looked back, licking his teeth. Makara. The head of the small troop of trolls was a Makara. It wasn’t Kurloz, he was behind bars, which only left one other.

“Grand Highblood, you really gotta be jerkin’ my chain over here. A full quarter is insanity.”

One of the trolls behind him handed up a club, spackled with dried blood of too many colors, but the majority was a sick dried red. Jarack Makara was not a troll many messed with; he had a reputation and a title to back it up: The Grand Highblood. One of the most prominent and well known clowns in the Dark Carnival. Lips pulled back, exposing all his teeth he tossed the club, catching it again. “Then I guess you’re calling me motherfucking crazy, huh Slick? That it?”

His pants were soaked through, gold dripping down legs, his socks and shoes damp with it. Why was he not allowed to keep anything nice? He’d have nothing to wear if Gamzee kept this up. Clenching around him, shifting in his arms, panting against his hand. The highblood trailed open mouthed kisses down his throat, head craned back so Sollux could only hear the conversation below them. Gamzee tugged on the skin between his teeth, slick yellow bulges winding around his wrist. His own teeth bit into his lip to keep himself quiet.

Gamzee watched with dark eyes as the gold dripped down between the guests, dotting the floor, unnoticed. Testing fate and their chances struck just the right chord with him. Sharp quiet breaths, heaving against him, eyes watering with the need to move or gasp or growl at him to keep going. An almost silent rumbled laugh in Gamzee’s chest echoed through Sollux’s bones, pulling a whine from him. Thankfully it was masked by conversation below.

“If you don’t think a quarter’s fair, I can take it back.” The Grand Highblood spoke, the sound of his club hitting his hand in a slow rhythm so foreign compared to Gamzee pistoning his fingers up into his nook.

“Jippin’ me so hard my fuckin’ head’s spinnin’!” Slick growled, “Last month a case was half that. What the hell happened?”

The club stopped it’s clink against his claws when he caught it, a heavy shift and a sharp crack. Something hit the floor hard and Jarack hissed, “This shit ain’t easy to come by Slick. You take it, or leave it. And if you leave it, you ain’t leavin’ with all your mirthless little heretics. One down.”

A gun cocked below and Sollux froze, shivering against Gamzee. He swallowed hard, still unable to see what was going on.

“Y’see that?” Slick asked, tapping against the floor.

“By the Messiahs, what have we here?” His Hilariousness’ voice carried into the rafters, “Little joker, is that you up there? Who’s your little golden friend?”

The metal creaked as a few sets of feet clambered up the stairs, heading their way. Gamzee pulled his hand free, voice thick with adrenaline. “Run.”

Sollux didn’t take another second to process what he said before he slid off the side of the scaffolding. He caught himself with his psionics, twisting himself around before pushing off nothing and spiralling out the door into the warm air outside.

“Shoot down that lightning bug!”

Gunshots and crashes broke out. A bullet whizzed past his head and dropped at least ten feet, rolling to a stop in front of another warehouse, dark inside. He dove down into and it left the door open a crack, just as he’d found it, and tucked himself away in the corner behind a stack of boxes, gun in hand.

Sollux finally took a breath when he was settled, holding the barrel against his forehead, trying to stop his hands from shaking. He could hear footsteps and rushing around outside. There were voices, too, but he had no idea what they were saying. The blood rushing through his body was too loud, his heart slamming too hard in his chest. He urged himself to breathe evenly, the sound of his own body probably a great big beacon only masked by the sound of the water under the docks.

At the rendezvous point The Grand Highblood held Gamzee up by his hair, the smaller troll snarling at him quietly. He tossed him to the side, where he rolled twice before springing back up. His voice was deep when he growled at him, “I don’t know who you think you are boy, but THAT little stunt-”

“Was fucking hilarious and you know it Jarack!” Gamzee honked, mocking with his laughter, nothing but malice and defiance. “I had him melting in my hands.”

“You brought a firework into a private meeting. That’s not hilarious, that motherfucker could cripple this organization. What have you told him?” He yanked him, huge hands enveloping his chest, squeezing the air from his lungs, his bones creaking under his grip.

Jarack snatched one of his horns and tugged on it, making him cry out. Gamzee clamped his teeth shut with a small groan of pain before the elder brought them face to face. “If I find him, I will cull him, is that understood chucklefuck?”

Gamzee reached quickly, grabbing hold of his hair with both hands, bringing his face close to his ancestor’s ear, whispering something. The adult’s eyes widened before he threw Gamzee away, almost as if he were hot to the touch. “Get out!”

He pushed himself up, dusting his clothes off before leaving Jarack with one last sneer, winding out of the building, hopping over a body at the door. Blood pooled under the corpse, his back riddled with bullet holes. With his head held high, Gamzee inhaled deep, catching the night air. Salt, fish, fear, adrenaline, gunpowder and fire, blood and... Sollux.

Something shifted outside his hiding place and he held his breath, keeping his eyes shut. His bulges still wound between his legs, refusing to retreat after being that close. He sat in his own fluids, disgusted and terrified for his life. A ghost white skull pattern appeared in front of his face suddenly and he nearly pulled the trigger out of reflex.

Gamzee plucked the gun from his hand, turning the safety on and setting it aside, pulling Sollux close to his chest, claws biting into his shoulders. Gamzee’s hand dropped, pushing two fingers into him, finishing what he started. Sollux’s breath hitched and he tugged Gamzee’s jacket away, biting down into his neck to muffle his own sounds. He didn’t want to be caught again. Not after nearly being shot already.

Sollux shivered against him when he pushed in a third finger, the blood in his mouth making his head spin with so many thoughts, like he’d been kicked in the head by a horse. Was this a healthy black relationship? Did he reciprocate? Was this alright, the constant danger Gamzee put him though? Maybe...maybe he was too much of a rival, too strong for Sollux to take on properly. It wasn’t a fair game when one side always won, but that just pushed the black fire in his guts, making it spread in some hope it’d reach the highblood and set him ablaze.

Maybe he did hate him.

Hands scrambled against his chest, nearly useless with how much he was shaking. A fist in his hair anchored him, pulling him back to the reality of the situation. Sollux pushed his hips up against his hand, a thumb running over the base of his bulges, forcing another shudder through him.

Gamzee leaned in, kissing him quickly, teeth clicking against one another. The quiet sound of his own sloppy mess was painfully loud, the sound of footsteps running along the docks outside making him rigid with fear and stress. But even still he melted into the cold ministrations, pliant and at his mercy.

He snapped and groaned against Gamzee’s mouth, panting against him and emptying himself between them across the wood and his own pants. Goddamnit Makara. Sollux’s lungs burned with the need to breathe properly, his body one big ache again. Forget closing his legs without feeling the sting. A shift nearby and Gamzee disappeared from in front of him.

The psionic curled up smaller, fumbling for his firearm. Gamzee stood off to one side of the room when the door opened. A troll Sollux didn’t recognize stepped in from the lights outside, shorter than Gamzee, but wider. His voice was quiet, but had a curt edge.

“The Old Goat’s gonna be pissed when he finds out about this Makara. Did you find him?”

“That old motherfucker can shove it, he doesn’t have the gruff to speak out against me. He knows better.” He said quietly, licking the yellow off his fingers, sucking it out from under his nails. His eyes flicked once to Sollux before he gestured to the door. “He’s not in here. Firefly like that? Probably home already shakin’ in his covers.”

“What made you think that was a good idea? And how did His Hilariousness not skin your stupid clown ass alive?”

Gamzee’s voice was flat, face void of any expression. “Because, he’s smart. I’d suggest you follow his suggestion and keep your nose outta places it don’t belong. You’ll get a whiff of something you’ll really find unpleasant one of these times.”

“All you chucklefucks speak in rhymes. What the hell are you even talking about?” He crossed his arms over his chest.

The highblood stepped up, snatching hold of his jaw, his voice just barely above a whisper, “I am the law around here. What I say goes. It’s how it’s been for a long time. The Grand Highblood knows, and so does The Old Goat. Get with the times, or you might find yourself face down in a gutter. Feel me?”

He pushed the troll away, watching him stumble with a smile before he wiped the blood off his face, looking at it. He said nothing, but left with a growl. Gamzee stood where he’d been. “Sollux. You really should run off. You got my half of the deal last night, and I....” He licked his fingers again, “Got yours tonight. You’re stuck with me bro. I’d get some sleep.”

Before Sollux was able to speak up, Gamzee was gone with a creak of the wood. He sat alone in the dark for a while, until he was sure they’d all left, before he even pulled himself up off the floor. His pants were ruined, his shirt was torn. He slid his gun in its holster and did just as instructed.

After all, he did have work in four hours.

He’d survived another day, which meant he was one day closer to meeting his goal. It wasn’t in sight yet, but he could feel himself getting closer. As hard as this whole mess was, Sollux was going to make sure he did this right, even if it was the last thing he ever did.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Gamzee's vague mutterings are lyrics from Creature Feature's 'The Greatest Show Uneathered'


	7. Liar's Retreat

Filling out the form for the night he hauled Gamzee Makara into the precinct left a nasty taste in Sollux’s mouth. Ninety percent of what he wrote were lies and cover ups, avoiding what really happened. He couldn’t let the chief know what happened, so he did his best to make the forms as crisp and as well rounded as he could manage. On the final read through, collecting up the courage to hand them off personally with information of happenings the night before, Terezi stopped him.

She stood in front of his desk with a ripped open bag of skittlegrubs in hand. She had been impressed he’d actually went through with it. He lips curled back in a sneer before she upturned the bag onto his desk, nothing but purple skittlegrubs being dumped over his workspace.

Sollux stared at them in horror before looking up at her.

“You might have been able to clean up the evidence, but this nose is better than any eyes. It /still/ smells like so much eggplant and plums. With that unmistakable undertone of mustard and honey. Fire and the cold from mint. You two make for an interesting little painting, you know that?” Terezi leaned against his desk, plucking a skittlegrub out of his jar of pencils before dropping it in the middle of the pile, offsetting the pile and shifting them about.

The psionics pinched the bridge of his nose with a soft sigh, “Thith ith my punishment?”

“You betcha. If I have to cover your ass and lie to the chief, then guess what buster? You can expect all the purple things all over your desk at all times.”

She leaned over, patting his shoulder. He winced at the bite that was still there, though he’d been able to function with the gauze off it thankfully. She smiled before standing up and tapping her cane against his leg, “Speak softly and carry a big stick, huh? I could lend him to you if you’re going in to see the Chief.”

Sollux stood, brushing candy off his paperwork and patted Terezi’s back, “I can handle this.”

Terezi scoffed, unconvinced. “Whatever you say honeycakes.”

Two wraps of his knuckles against her door casing, her door open a crack. Her voice sounded tired, which wasn’t anything he wasn’t used to at this point. She had a hard job. “Come in.”

Sollux shut the door behind him, setting his paperwork on her desk. Hands behind his back he stared off with flat eyes out the window behind her. She cleared her throat, looking over the papers over the rims of her glasses, “You look like you’re feeling better.”

He shifted from foot to foot, “Yeth, thank you.”

“Just a little stomach bug or something like that?” She set the paperwork down, folding her hands over it.

“Unfortunately. I haven’t been eating well lately. But yethterday made me thee that, tho I’ll be good ath new thoon.”

It was just one lie on top of another to keep what he did in private right where it was. Was this really worth all of that? Was Gamzee and his information really worth lying to his Chief and risking his job?

“A thilent informant hath told me you should conthider bringing Thlick in. Thopor trade latht night at two.”

Redglare raised an eyebrow, sitting back in her chair, “You know of an exchange last night? Which would mean you were there, you know someone who was there, or you’re just lucky enough to know someone who witnessed it.”

Sollux rolled his shoulders, hands behind his back, “I can’t tell you who my informant ith ma’am. I’m thorry. They agreed to give me information if they are not brought into thingth. I am confident I can keep them out of thingth if you don’t intervene. Tho far their information hath been correct.”

“Correct? So the exchange last night, you know for FACT took place, yes Mister Captor?” She asked quietly, inspecting her red nails.

It took him a moment to answer her, “Yeth ma’am.”

“So were you sick last night Sollux? Or were you undercover without telling us at a drug exchange? Or, god forbid, a participant?”

“No!” The psionic said quickly, clearing his throat, “I wath given the information and I athumed it wath a lie. I went alone and wath pulled to the thide by my thourthe before I could be found out. I trutht their information now, after theeing they didn’t lie when they could have.”

The chief went quiet, looking over his paperwork and her nails again, thinking things over. She looked up slowly, “You don’t have too many chances left Sollux. I’ve been far too kind with how loose you uphold the rules around here.”

Sollux’s jaw set. She was right. He knew she was right.

“If you bring Thlick in and quethtion him, you will find that he traded a quarter for a cathe of thopor powder latht night.”

“And you are absolutely positive in this and in your informant, correct?” She asked, standing up and rounding her desk.

“Yeth ma’am.” He said, watching the back wall instead of her.

Redglare forced his papers into his chest and said quietly, “Then I suggest while we are out, you avoid LYING Mister Captor. It’s unbecoming of you.”

She left him alone, her door still open. He swallowed hard, pushing hard against his twisting guts before he sighed quietly, “Yeth ma’am.”

* * *

His laugh was cracked and his mouth was always wide when he did. Slick wasn’t cuffed to the table, not like Gamzee had been, since there were two cops in the room with him, and he was frisked for his knives before he even arrived at the precinct. He had a gold tooth and his real name was Jack. He had been in and out of this station and jail a few times, but he kept going back to a life of crime after he was let go.

But he was without a doubt the most informative man anyone had encountered. Redglare had kept tabs on him for years, bringing him in every time something big went down because for some odd reason, Slick here couldn’t seem to stay out of trouble.

“I made out like a goddamn bandit in that trade, ya’know? Got what I went in for and left with my cash too.”

“How did you get out of there without a proper hand off? This is unlike anything we’ve heard from The Grand Highblood. You mean to tell me that you got away with the drugs AND your money?” The chief prodded, the confusion clear in her voice.

He smiled wicked and his tooth glittered under the light, “Couldn’t’a done it without you little firework there. Such a funny little happening that he’s a pig! Never would’a guessed, circumstances considered.”

“What are you talking about Jack?” She pressed, leaning in a little.

Sollux leaned on the door watching him, arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t like this one bit. Not at all. He fidgeted, trying not to show his twisted guts and guilt and confusion and panic.

“Oh man, one’a GHB’s boys had this cute little goldblooded fucktoy. Up in the rafters, dripping his slurry down on us. Kinky little bastards. Commend him though, that mess got me outta there and I only lost six men.” He turned his gaze to Sollux, laugh and worry lines deep grooves in his pale face, “So thank ya boy. Much appreciated.”

The chief went silent sitting across from the convict, hands clasped on the table in front of her. Sollux stared Slick down, eyes dark with contempt. His mind raced faster than he could comprehensively keep up, trying to working himself out of this hole Gamzee had dug him into. The chief’s voice startled him,

“Mister Captor.”

“Y-” He cleared his throat after it cracked, “Yeth ma’am?”

“Are these accusations correct? Were you having relations with a gang member last night? You told me that you had been hidden away. The truth Mister Captor, if you will.” Her shoulders were squared and she never did look at him, which made him squirm even more.

His mouth was dry and he stared at the scorch marks on the table between the two waiting on him. Sollux swallowed a few times, trying to wet his mouth, unclench his throat, work around the lump of guilt pressing down on him where it had been building for quite some time.

“No. And I don’t know what Thlick ith talking about ma’am. I told you earlier that I WATH with my informant. And I WATH pulled athide, but the retht of hith.... tale, I don’t have a clue about.”

He shook his head, trying to set himself in this nasty web of lies. Sollux could do this. He could lie to his superior to cover his own ass. It was either lie, or start looking for a new job. Which he just couldn’t do. He needed THIS job. He needed to be in THIS station, with THESE people. On THIS case. He would lie for that.

Redglare nodded slowly, “My office Captor. Wait for me there.”

“Ma’am?” He blinked quickly, at a loss for anything past confusion.

“That was an order Mister Captor.” She said stern, finally looking over her shoulder at him. Her eyes drilled into him and he looked from her to Jack and back again.

Jack waved his fingers with a grin, “So long buttercup.”

Sollux growled quietly, tearing out of the room. He whipped through the office, back into her office, shutting the door behind him and climbing up into one of the chairs, hugging his knees.

He felt like such a wiggler. He was going to be scolded, and punished for lying. Just like a child. He’d done wrong and now he was going to get what was coming to him. Sollux’s shoulders shook with anger, at himself and for Gamzee for coming into his life and ruining it in less than 72 hours.

He wasn’t sure how long he sat there in the room alone, listening absently to the sound of the station past the door. The turn of the knob made him put his feet down quickly, straightening up. He wasn’t going to be seen as weaker than he was. The chief shut the door behind her, rounding her desk and sitting down. She straightened a few things, pulling a lock of hair out of her face before she spoke.

“You are being put on temporary leave until further notice.”

“I’m what?” He looked up quickly, eyes wide and jaw slack.

“Temporary paid leave until we sort this mess out Mister Captor. You still have your job, but until we have straight details, and I am sure you will stop lying on official reports and directly to my face, you can no longer work on this case or any other. And to avoid firing you and ruining your reputation in this station or any other in the state, you are simply being removed for the time being.” Redglare explained slowly, voice stern in her decision.

“You can’t do thith! Chief! Thith job ith all I have!” He sat forward, palms up on her desk, “Pleathe!”

She sat back in her chair with a sigh, “The only way I would let you stay now, is if you told me what you know about what took place last night, and give me the information on your source. No more lies Sollux.”

Sollux stared at her, lips pressed into a tight line. His jaw was clenched, teeth pressed together painfully. He swallowed hard, blood pusher hammering too hard against his chest cavity. His hands shook, clasped in his lap.

“I can’t.”

“Then I suggest you pack up your belongings because this case may take a while. I will call you when we have this sorted out Mister Captor. I wish you the best and hope you will still come back to work after this.” Redglare nodded her head towards the door as she spoke, turning to the computer set on her desk after she’d said what she needed.

His world fell out from under him, dropping him into some void. Sollux felt nothing after that. He went through the motions, doing as he was told because, how could he not? He cleaned up his desk, not much to it really. It was mostly purple candy at this point. He dropped a bottle of Grape Faygo into the trash without much thought to it. He collected everything up, putting it in a box.

He caught the eye of Terezi watching blindly in his direction once or twice. She seemed glum. Poor her.

The last thing he plucked from his desk was a picture frame.

Scrawled in the bottom corner were the words, ‘Congratulations Mituna! 1-9-2011’

Sollux’s father stood with his arm wrapped around his eldest son’s neck, both decked out in their full police uniforms with huge stupid grins on their faces. Sollux leaned on Mituna’s other side, a smaller smile on his face. That had been a good day.

He set the picture in the box and lugged it all out to his car without a second glance and a silence fell over the station.

“Terezi.”

The young tealblood sat up straight, staring up in the direction of her aunt’s voice. “Yes?”

“I’m pulling you off this case as well.” She said quietly.

“Ma’am?”

“You and Mister Strider will be trailing Mister Captor. You are to stay out of sight, and report back to me directly what happens. No paperwork, no fuss. Tell me who goes in, who comes out, where he goes and what he does. I’m done with the lies. Is that understood?”

Redglare’s voice was firm, but there was an edge to it Terezi couldn’t quite place. Perhaps regret? Disappointment? All Terezi could smell was a mix of stern teal and distraught yellow and the oily black conceit Slick gave off.

“I understand Azzeri.” She nodded, unfolding her cane, standing to go inform Mister Strider of their new shift change.

“Be careful Terezi, and don’t get caught.” The elder turned back to her office, heels clicking against the tile.


	8. Your Fault

“So you’re gonna have to run this by me one more time.” Dave said quietly, watching down the street over the edge of his shades. “You told me Captor got canned and now we gotta watch his house?”

“No, you’re dumb. You didn’t listen.” Terezi scolded, tapping the dragon’s head of her cane against the side of his head gently, catching it’s teeth on his glasses, “I saaaiiid...”

“Aunty Stuffy McPanties-In-A-Bunch decided that following the rules was better than breaking the law and while I’m a lady of the law myself, this particular little specimen has bigger things to live for. Not that this excuses him from the bullshit he’s done lately because wow Captor, what the hell man? You go and do shit like that and of course it’s all going to hit the fan eventually, right? That’s why we’re watching the house.” She explained enthusiastically. “Understand?”

Dave blinked a few times, narrowing his eyes at her, “No. No I don’t.”

“I don’t know how many details I am at liberty to disclose to one such as you because I don’t have a clue what Redglare has planned when it comes to the information us Lady Pyropes know, BUT, I do know that he has an informant. Said informant is very likely one of the Painted. Which is, well very bad. But I don’t really have to tell you that considering-”

Dave shifted in his seat, a small huff through his nose and she nodded, catching his hint.

“Anyway, Appleberry’s got his own vendetta against the gang. Shit went down before you got into the job and it was wrapped up hush hush quick. He still has a ton of issues and nightmares and junk. He WAS going to a therapist for it, but he said she made him feel stupid. Like some wiggler, so he decided to handle it his own way. And well, that means this. Computer dork extraordinaire by day, copper by... well whenever his shift is actually.”

Her partner scoffed, rolling his eyes. She nudged him again, whining, “WhaaAAaat?”

“Oh nothing. Just casually flexing my laughbox because you STILL haven’t gotten to just why we’re here. Or, you have, but you sugar coated it in a million useless things and lost me.” He tilted his head to look over at her, “So if you could do me a kindness and tell me flat out why we’re sitting here in a car baking for an undisclosed amount of time, that’d be great. Hold the sprinkles.”

“Captor is banging a Painted for info about the rest of the gang.” Terezi said, both hands up, trying to punctuate her point, “That’s bad. Chief slapped him on the wrist and told him to sit in the corner for a while until we work out what’s going on with Slick and the gangs stirring up. She still doesn’t trust him. We’re watching to make sure nothing happens. And if something DOES happen, we tattle. We are professional peeping toms and part time tattletale...ers.”

She nodded once, “You get it that time Pinky?”

“Thank God for plain fucking English Pyrope.” Dave shook his head with a soft sigh, “Yes, I got it that time. Was that so hard?”

“Yes. I think I might keel over from just how much effort that took.” Terezi smirked, throwing a hand up to her forehead and pretended to faint under the stress of explaining something so simple. Or, less than simple considering nothing Sollux was ever involved in was ever easy to understand. The troll was a walking cloud of confusing details and muddled facts.

The partners sat in the SUV for the better half of the day, not a thing was seen. No one went to the door, no one came out. Sollux didn’t so much as pass the windows. He was holed up tight in one of the back room. The chatter was calm, friendly, just talking to each other to pass the time.

“And I don’t have a clue why she-”

Terezi put a hand up, eyes sliding closed as she took a deep breath. Through the smog and grime the city she could smell one certain familiarity. One scent she remembered catching off the room that morning. She gestured to the end of the street and sure enough, a figure rounded it, hands jammed in deep pockets.

He walked like he didn’t have anything to hide, unlike some of the more unsavory members of The Painted, which he so clearly was. He walked with purpose and high strung dignity. Almost conceit. He smelled slimy and cold, deep purple and bright white hot conviction. The smell of him made Terezi’ stomach churn and she wrinkled her nose.

“That’s our guy Dave. I know it.”

“How?” He watched him, in a similar state of disgust.

“I just do. What’s he look like?”

Oceans of black hair, probably never having seen a brush in his life. Bright white and dark greys offsetting his ever so subtly tinted skin. Huge twisted horns, clothes that hung off him, hiding his frame and he had a slouch to tie it all together. Big fangs and bright eyes, half lidded with something Dave couldn’t place. He was definitely not in the right state of mind, whether it was his own head, or something else tampering. Long strides masking a very fluid form, limbs capable of so much destruction. Dave felt a prickle at the back of his neck just looking at him. But he wasn’t keen on any of The Painted. Not after losing Bro to them.

“Like a goddamn mess Terezi...”

* * *

She leered at him, the claw on her pinky pressing against her lip as she rested her head on her hand, elbow propped against the railing and ass gently swaying back and forth. Honestly, she was a pretty little thing, but it was the rest of it that was nasty. Her personality, her methods in ANYTHING she did, and her voice grated on the pan something fierce.

Which is why he cringed when she spoke up, side eyeing her from his spot perched on the rail next to her.

“Honestly Gamzee, I don’t think you’re going to accomplish what you want here. You pissed His Hilariousness off, which in it’s actual hilarity, means he’s been an asshole to everyone. Your dumbass clown logic brought the hammer down on all of us. So fuck you very much for that.”

He rolled his eyes, listening to her drone on with a small noncommittal noise in the back of his throat, at least acknowledging he’d heard what she said.

“But come on, this little mustardblood, he’s not worth your time. No lowblood ever was, were they?”

Gamzee whipped around to face her, baring fangs, “You shut your whore mouth. Don’t you dare Vriska.”

She pushed herself up, one hand on her hip, “And what the hell are YOU going to do about it Makara?”

“You’ve got no idea what you’re up and spewing from that nasty maw. Don’t.” The fabric of his pants strained as he tugged at him.

“Gonna cull me too, huh? Bet your walls are missing a nice coating of cerulean.” Vriska sneered back, stepping up close, pulling one of his hands up into her’s, wrapping his fingers around her throat. “I could help you with that. Let you cut me up, rip you apart in return. Paint your block in all the cold colors.”

It would be so, SO motherfucking easy to just crush her windpipe. Collapse it and watch her suffocate. So damn easy. He swallowed hard at the thought of watching her writhe, pushing her away roughly, hissing at her wordlessly.

Vriska’s eyebrows pressed together and she sighed, “Oh come on Gamzee, we both know he’s not worth any of your time. He’s not Painted, and he never will be. He’s a backwater pig who lost too much. You’re not going to be able to play with him long before he breaks. You’ve already got toys here begging for you to play with them.”

She traced the Scorpio symbol against his bare chest, the edge of her claw leaving it a small purple welt. Blue eyes and too many pupils darted up to meet his and he snarled at her, grabbing her prosthetic arm roughly, “He’s none of your business Vriska. You need to mind your own motherfucking game and quit getting all up and upset when someone chooses a warmblood over your frigid carcass. It happened then, and it’s happening now and you need to just get over yourself.”

Silence settled on them and he pushed her away roughly, collecting up his shirt, buttoning his pants. She leaned on the railing overlooking a good deal of the establishment, the furnishings for a makeshift bedroom behind her. This was her sect, and she watched over it with her elder clutchmate like a good leader. Gamzee stood at the top of the stairs, pulling his shirt down with a tug,

“You’re a good lay, but that’s all you are. A pretty little face and a tight nook. The rest of it’s just disgusting.”

Vriska refused to look at him, staring down at the few people lounging downstairs. After a moment of his standing on the landing, her eyes flicked over. She almost opened her mouth to snap at him, but he cut her off.

“You and that little Mindfang broad best count your lucky stars the Messiahs smile on your pretty little faces. You’ve got spunk, and you know how to con someone outta somethin’, but you won’t be taking what you want. You’ll get what’s handed to you, and you’ll motherfuckin’ deal.”

She looked over to Gamzee, jaw set. His face was hard to read behind the paint, but she could see the fire in his eyes and the glint of Chucklevoodoos at the edges.

“Ya hear me Serket?”

With a sharp hiss she pushed away from the railing, slinking back into the darkness of the loft. Gamzee smirked, taking her sulking as recognition that he was right. Hide and lick your wounded pride spiderbitch.

With a small wave to the others chilling below, he left her to fester in her own unrequited hatred.

Up above though she watched him leave, a snarl on her blue painted lips.

“Just you wait Makara. Make you pay, it’s only a matter of time.”

* * *

Thankfully Captor’s hive wasn’t too far off from this branch. And it was nice out, warm but not sweltering, enough to warm his blood. Even if that spiderbitch had gotten under his skin like she did, he wasn’t going to let it get to him. He’d just had a nice fuck, not enough to undo the knot in his gut, but enough to take the edge off. And it stopped her from bitching. He wasn’t in her quadrant, and she’d never be in his, so it wasn’t a good as it could be.

Sollux though, he always felt just right. Warmbloods were always better, such a stark contrast and such fiery personalities. He was a spitfire, and everything about him felt right. From the way he clenched around him, or those teeth sinking into flesh. The psionic burns or the lisped curses. Just being near him put a wicked smile on Gamzee’s face. He was someone to be hated. Vriska was a tool to get what he wanted.

All these wonderful thoughts pulsing through him kept the short walk quick, his stride easy and measured. He took note of his surroundings as well, and caught the eye of two people in an SUV down the street from his pitchmate’s apartment. A troll and a human. They watched him, and he watched them, his small smile spreading to a grin before he opened Sollux’s door. (He’d broken the lock himself while he’d been at work earlier that day so he could get in without an issue.)

“SooOOoolluuUUuux~” He sang through the small apartment, eyes sharp in the darkness.

There was a thunk followed by a pained groan in the back room. Gamzee didn’t know the layout of the apartment very well yet, but it wasn’t too hard considering it wasn’t very big. It was very nearly just one big room. He poked his head around into the living room, the door to the bedroom open a crack, light flooded out, flicked when a shadow passed it before the smaller troll came out in a rush of sparks and fangs.

“Get out!” he roared, swiping at him.

Gamzee snatched one hand, taking the other to the face, pulling back enough they were shallow. He threw his hand away, drew back and punched him. Sollux took it to the jaw, not anything near full highblood force, but enough to stumbled back, almost falling back onto the couch. He caught himself in a flurry of sparks, a handful of huge arcs rolling off him and slamming down into the clown.

“I thaid get out!” He repeated, snarling, a strong hum under his words. Alternian was hard to get rid of for some.

“Aw bro, why you gotta be like that?” Gamzee smiled, body shuddering now and again from the last of the psionics.

“She told me to leave thith investigation, and it’th all you goddamn fault! I don’t even want to thpeak to you! You came into my life and dethtroyed everything! I’m going to lothe my job! It’th all I have left and it’th YOUR fault. GET OUT!”

His words were hard to make out past the sharp trills edging them and with the last two words, he lunged at him again, pushing himself away from the wall with his energy hard enough to send them both to the floor. Sollux sat above him, hissing, dragging his claws down his chest, ripping through his shirt.

Gamzee held his thighs, letting his do all the damage he felt he needed, gripping tight enough to draw his own gold. Sollux brought his head down with a sick crack, slamming their foreheads together. He shook it off, maybe not his smartest move, blurry for a moment before he cuffed him in the side of the face, more claws than hand. Indigo ran down his fingers.

“You ruined everything. Why did I trutht you? You’re worthleth! Why did I lithten?! I’m going to lothe everything and it’th all your fucking fault!”

“I never told you to lie.” The indigo said quietly. “You did that all on your own.”

Sollux paused, hands fisted in his shirt. His voice cracked when he asked, “What did you thay?”

“I never told you to up and get your deceit and falsehoods flowing. I just told you I’d do this if you made sure I stayed outta the slammer.”

He shook him by the shirt, “How the fuck did you expect me to do that?!”

“I told you to bring big guns. You came alone. You didn’t listen and because you didn’t trust me, you’re in this whole fuckin’ mess on your own Sollux. This ain’t my fault, it’s yours.” Gamzee sat up slowly, keeping his voice level, watching the shift in Sollux’s face.

“How wath thuppothed to know I could trutht you? You’re a convict. You’re a criminal. You’re PAINTED. I can’t trutht you.” He let his hands loosen in his shirt, eyes downcast. The highblood could just hear the whirring of the cogs in his head spinning and grinding. He was second guessing himself. He was going to blame himself soon. He was going to be just where Gamzee needed him soon.

“I exposed myself to you. Left you spades. Told you I hated you. You really think I would lie after that? I hated your nasty carcass the moment I met you. I wanted to just rip you apart and listen to you scream. I didn’t lie then, and I’m not lying now.” Gamzee wrapped one hand around one of his horns, pulling his head back roughly so he could look down over him, forcing Sollux to look up at him.

“So is a motherfucker gonna be all up and believing in me soon? I ain’t done a THING to lead you astray. Confessing black, and keeping you from getting shot up. Coming here now to tell you more info even. And you’re being like this? Can’t says as I’m not hurt bro. Haven’t done a thing to get you to be like this at all.”

He leaned his head in, pulled Sollux’s collar aside to tongue across the bite mark from the first night. It was going to scar, he knew that, but it didn’t hurt making sure. Or it did, which was the point. He bit into it again, tugging at the flesh roughly, breaking the scabs. Sollux’s hand flew to the back of his head, tugging on his hair with a sharp hiss, “Fuck!”

Blood bubbled from the fresh marks, deep honey dripping down his skin. His voice was quiet when he spoke up, breathing the words against his neck, “Don’t you hate me too?”

Sollux said nothing after that. So slow as he could, he pulled his legs free from where they were tangled with the psionic’s. He licked over the wound again before pushing him down, back onto the floor of the living room. He nudged the side of his face with his nose, purring the words low in his chest, “Come on Sollux, I really do hate your nasty sack of bones. What do I have to do to convince you?”

“Why?” Sollux choked on the word.

Gamzee fell silent for a moment, thinking it over. How to convince him... “Well, you’ve got power to rival mine. The red and blue ganderbulbs you’re keepin in that head of yours, s’a mutation. The duality makes me want to rip you into two trolls, you scream of my Mirthful Messiahs, and no little lowblood should ever. A job an’ an apartment, neither of which a those I’ve sunk my claws into. Least by societies standards. Fuck ‘em though, I’m happy how I am. And you’re not. Fuckin’ tearing up your life and all the good memories you could be making by doin’ shit you don’t like. How fucking stupid can you get?”

The highblood curled his claws into his shoulders, “You’ve got a lot and you’re still motherfuckin’ miserable and you’ve got no one to blame but yourself and I hate you so much for being so pan rotted when all you want is in your reach.”

“Where the hell do you get off on knowing what I want? Huh?” He snapped, pushing Gamzee’s chest so he could look at him, thick tendrils of black brushing past his face. “How can you think you know? You don’t have a clue what I want Makara.”

Gamzee sat up, lips pulling back to expose teeth. His paint twisted and pulled with his devilish grin.

“Vengeance.”


	9. Dreams of the Doomed

Sollux pushed him away roughly, squirming out from under him, “Get away from me.” He said weakly. He leaned against the side of the couch, visibly shaken up. His eyes scanned the carpet, then flicked up to meet Gamzee’s, still sitting on the floor. “You don’t know anything Gamzee.”

“Alright then, if you think I don’t have a semblance of an idea in my pan what I’m talking about, enlighten a brother. Grace me with the wicked knowledge and school my ignorant self.” Gamzee crossed his arms over his chest, sitting on his ass on the kitchen floor, watching Sollux huddled against the end of the couch just out of reach in the living room.

His back straightened a bit and his voice fell flat, as if he were reciting something he’d heard a million times.

“November 19th, 2011. Psiiya Captor and Mituna Captor headed a raid on a Painted hideout. It went very wrong and the two were captured. A week later, after negotiationth and dealingth were dealt with, their bodieth were dumped back outside. They’d been dead the entire time, not hothtage. The Painted got what they wanted and the two pthionicth were killed. Mituna’th body wath in once piece, but The Grand Highblood kept Psiiya’th head as a trophy. Both were cremated. The funeral procethion wath held on the 26th of November. I thtarted my law enforthement training the day after.”

Sollux stared up at him, claws digging into the fabric of the couch, a slight quiver to his jaw. “You fucking happy Makara? You happy you know that the only point I have to my life anymore ith making sure the Painted rot in jail for the retht of forever for what they did? You thee why I wath tho quick to take you up on your offer? Why I needed you? You thee why the hell I hate my own exithtanthe?!”

He dropped his head into his hands, “Why did they go? Why couldn’t thomeone elthe? Why didn’t I thtop them? I knew it wath trouble. I could feel it. I knew all along. I knew. I alwayth knew.”

Pale yellow dipped from his chin as he stared at Gamzee, silent.

Arms wrapped around his frame, pulling him in close. He struggled and sparked and pushed against him, but found he had no strength to fight right now. Sollux shook in the highblood’s arms, breathing ragged as he forced himself not to cry, fruitless as it was. He’d lost all that he had that night. The only people in his life that he’d ever had. And all he wanted now, was to set things right. Make sure they could never hurt anyone again.

“Shhh...” Gamzee whispered, “I gotcha Sol. I gotcha.”

Sollux growled weakly, “Thtop. You-”

“You don’t got anyone else right now. No one’s here to keep you scrawny ass warm. I’m... right here. I’ll keep you safe. No one else but me.” The words were pressed to his hair, soft and gently.

Long fingers carded through his hair, the other hand rubbing his back, “No one but me. I’ll be right here. You’ve got nothing to worry about my little sunspot.”

Emotionally drained from being suspended and telling the troll hatecrushing on him how his family had died left Sollux in a disgusting state of hollow and defeated. And now said hatecrush was coddling him? Holding him and telling him he was there for him? Sollux shifted, pushing against him again, unwound himself from his long arms to lean on his bedroom doorway. He held his head, pulling himself to his feet.

“I can’t do this right now. You need to go.”

Gamzee sat on the floor, watching as the psionic slipped back into his room, burying himself in his blankets. He watched him shift until he was comfortable, a small ball of harsh edges and distraught little sparks. Eventually he stopped moving, the rise and fall of his ribs subtle under the mess of fabric, but it was there. The highblood watched him for a few more minutes before he got up himself.

He stepped into Sollux’s room, leaning over his single bed. With a quick flicker of purple across his eyes, he pressed his forehead to the psionic’s. He was quiet and his touch was like a whisper across his skin, careful not to wake him.

“Dream of me Captor. Me and only me.”

He brushed a lock of hair out of his face, discomfort clear from the curl of his lips to the wrinkle between his eyebrows. Gamzee left the room, and the house, shutting the door behind him. Outside the apartment he cast a long look at the SUV again. The two inside were still there. They were staking out Captor’s apartment. Interesting.

He stood still for a moment before walking over. He tapped a knuckle against the window of the driver’s door. It was rolled down slowly and the human in the shades asked, “Can I help you?”

Gamzee shrugged a shoulder, “Aw, nothing much YOU could be helping with. I could help YOU with something though.”

The troll in the passenger seat answered, “And?”

He gestured up to Sollux’s bedroom window, “Y’see that apartment there? The one with the little yellowblood copper living in it?”

Terezi stifled an automatic response, but Dave nodded, “Yeah, get to the point, will ya?”

He smiled lightly, looking them over before looking over his shoulder at the window. When he looked back the smile was twisted, too happy and his voice was too chipper. It had and edge of something dark and cold.

“He won’t be yours for too long.”

Gamzee turned, slamming his fist into the hood of the vehicle hard, leaving a small dent before he waved his hand in a lazy salute, loping off back down the street in the direction he came from.

Dave glanced sideways at Terezi as he walked off, waiting until he rounded the corner before he let his shoulders slump, arms covered in goosebumps, “Well, that went well.”

* * *

It was cold out, the water lapped at his ankles. The river moved by, barely a hum against his ears. Where did he leave his jacket? Sollux rubbed his arms against the chill in the air, stepping back onto shore. A bridge stretched out across the water above his head, blotting out the moon above. Every now and then he could hear the sound of a car pass.

Graffiti marred the walls here and he climbed the steep slope to the nearest pillar, running his hand over the markings. Simple tags, nothing special. A big Gemini symbol in gold with the letters MC and SC in the vertical pillars, PC and TC in the horizontals. It wasn’t much, but he knew it as soon as he saw it what it was and who had put it there.

He’d put it there. With his father.

Or was it his brother?

He stared at it for a long moment before he reached out, running a hand across the stained stone. His fingers trailed deep indigo where they went, disfiguring the symbol. The purple streaks hissed as they ate through the stone, expanding out from his hand and eating away at the memory. It twisted and writhed, curling into a Capricorn symbol, dripping thick globs of poison down the wall.

“Bravo brother!”

Sollux spun around quickly, his blood pusher in his protein chute suddenly. A familiar shape stepped across the top of the water, eyes blank and skin sickly pale.

“MT?” He croaked, watching him cross the water, stepping up onto shore.

“You ruined it.” He gestured up to the symbol, “You ruined what we made. Why?”

“I-” He looked over his shoulder at it, then down at his hands, still dripping the acid, “I didn’t mean it! I never meant for that!”

“Well, if you meant it or not, the damage is done! You can’t take it back now Sollux. Congratulations.” Mituna spoke with spite, but his lips held a smile. It seemed genuine, but also deceitful.

“No.” Sollux whispered, shaking his head, “I didn’t mean it MT.”

“What’s done is done little brother. You let father and I go. You let us leave. You let us go, and you let us die!” He threw an accusing finger, walking up the bank, blank eyes wide.

“No. Mituna pleathe.” He shook, backing up slowly. The hiss of the purple slipping off his hands and dotting the grass and rocks marked his retreat. But still his brother kept walking towards him.

“You left our home, you threw our things away, you destroyed all you had of us! You pushed it all away! We don’t matter anymore. You just want to wallow alone in your own filth! You’ve forgotten us Sollux!”

“NO! No I- No!” He begged, back pressed to the pillar. Sollux put a hand up, “Mituna pleathe.”

Mituna grabbed the outstretched hand, the purple biting through his skin, burning through his flesh. He took no notice of it, sharing his brother down. “You don’t care anymore, do you?”

The smell of burning flesh hit him full force, making his stomach clench. He couldn’t breathe right, gasping and begging. “I mith you and father. Pleathe. I didn’t mean for that. I’m tho thorry.”

“You killed us, and you killed mother.”

His heart dropped and he nearly sank to his knees.

“You bring nothing but death and sadness with you Sollux. No wonder you’re alone now. Anyone gets close to you, it’s only a matter of time until you get them killed. You’re disgusting.”

The words had died in his throat, all he could do was shake his head, his face damp with fresh tears. He was so pathetic.

His brother’s voice in front of him grew louder, deep and booming, shaking him with the volume. He was just repeating the same thing, ripping Sollux apart for his mistakes. He told him he was worthless, good for nothing, scum. It drilled into his head, making the world ripple at the edges.

He towered over him, taller than Sollux ever remembered him. He was either getting bigger, or the wishes to be small and curl up were working. He held his fists over his ears, begging and pleading silently, his voice impossibly small compared to the screeching of his brother. Yellow dripped past his fingers, the indigo already there eating away at his own skin. He couldn’t feel it. It was just cold. Cold, frigid ice corroding his flesh away, leaving bare bones in it's wake.

A hand dropped to his shoulder suddenly. He turned his head to look, long fingers and sharp claws held his shoulder as SOMETHING pull itself free from the wall. A second arm wrapped around his chest. Two long curved horns and curtains of black, stark grey and white against flushed purple skin.

Gamzee rest his chin on Sollux’s shoulder, “Shhh, it’s alright bro. I got you.”

Torso half jutting from the wall, the stone rippling like water when he moved. Sollux’s hand grabbed at Gamzee’s holding it in a crushing grip. His hands and half his forearms were bright bone, still oozing the darkness. But when he held Gamzee’s hand, it didn’t hurt him. It didn’t eat away at his skin like it had with Mituna and himself Sollux was missing patches of his own face from where he’d held his ears, and Mituna in front of him was a patchwork mess of rotting flesh.

The highblood snarled at Mituna when he reached out for Sollux again. The younger psionic shrank away from his touch, back pressed tight to the wall with Gamzee’s arms wrapped around his small frame.

“You choose him over me? Over your family?” Mituna asked, voice nearly silent, almost unintelligible after the harshness before.

Sollux shifted back, the wall giving way behind him, sending waves through the rock. A quick flash of purple energy flickering behind Mituna’s eyes and it was like a switch being flipped. Instead of the patchwork rot, it all started to slip at the same time, meat dripping off his skull in thick globs, hitting the ground between them and turning to sludge.

Mituna’s hair spiraled out of his skull as he reached for Sollux again, the flesh melting off his limbs, leaving him bare boned.

“You traitor!” He snapped, snarling down at him.

“No.” Sollux whispered again.

Gamzee pulled him backwards, into the wall behind them, trying to keep Sollux away from his brother’s hands. The last thing Sollux saw before his world went black, obscured by the wall was the bones of his brother’s face char black, doom etched across his features. He shook violently before crumbling in on himself with the scream of Sollux’s name on his exposed teeth.

And then it was black.

Not the harsh purples of before. Deep crushing darkness. Darkness that would have been comforting if it hadn’t been headed by that terror.

Sollux curled in on himself, suspended in the void. How long he lingered there, he couldn’t be sure. But after a while, those arms returned, wrapping around him. They were cold, but somehow comforting. His skin was too hot and feverish, the coldblood’s arms a welcome relief. He melted into his arms, still rattled.

“I told you that you could rely on me.” He whispered against the shell of Sollux’s ear, twisting around him in the shade to sit in front, pulling Sollux’s head do his chest. “Told you I was the only one left. Ya see now?”

The psionic turned his head, his ear pressed to the highblood’s chest, stared off into the dark, “What... are you to me?”

Gamzee was quiet for a few minutes, resting his chin on the top of Sollux’s head, nestled in between those four tines. “I’m all you’ve got left.”

Everything sucked and twisted itself inside out and he woke with a scream. His sheets were damp with sweat, shaking and short of breath. His throat felt raw and his lips were chapped. Sollux leaned forward, setting his head between his knees to try to fight off the nausea roiling in his gut. He held his stomach, rocking gently. Out of habit he looked to see what time it was, in case he was late for work.

Upon looking up though, the visage of his brother’s face swam in front of his eyes and his stomach scorched up his throat. He leaned over the side of the bed, snatching the bucket out from underneath before he emptied his stomach, choking on the remains of lunch.

He wiped his mouth clean with the sleeve of his shirt, grimacing and peeled it off and tossing it over the foot of his bed. Sollux rolled over in a shivering ball, pulling the blankets up around him, confused and lost and upset.

He fell asleep not long after, the sky outside dark. Thankfully, he didn’t dream this time.


	10. Three Wise Monkeys

“Careen! My favorite doubly defected motherfucker!”

“Oh good god, if it isn’t Two-Face himself!”  
  
Gamzee skipped down the stairs into the pit of the room, lit by a soft red light, casting harsh shadows, weaving his way through the couches and ‘entertainers’. A tall troll with wavy horns sat in the middle of the room, a fellow violet and a jade curled up under each arm. He tilted the jade’s chin up, kissing her gently. A knuckle brushed the gill of the violet beside him and he cooed to them softly, “I’ll be back soon my little morsels. Business calls.”

Their forlorn whines made Gamzee cringe.

Whores.

Dualscar was taller than Gamzee, wider shoulders. But he carried himself high, almost like he was important or something. The indigo rolled his eyes, turning to walk back up the stairs with him, hands in his pockets. He still smiled though. For how much he hated this branch of their gang, Dualscar was personable enough. He could get along with him well enough.

But that might have also been because Careen knew his place better than most.

“And what do I owe the pleasure to sir?” He asked, opening the doorway with one hand and gesturing inside with the other.

Gamzee snorted, “‘Sir’ might be laying it on a bit thick, don’tcha think?”

The two sat down, Dualscar behind his desk, kicking his feet up onto his desk and leaning back in his chair. Gamzee leaned forward in his, fiddling with the assortment of little trinkets and treasures covering the seatroll’s desk.

“Considerin’ everything? Eh, I think it fits about right. I AM under you in the hierarchy if not technically speakin’.”

He sat back with a sneer, “You’re a floundering little fish with his sorry ass stuck on land. You won’t be convincing me that you’re higher in blood or otherwise.”

Careen put his hands up, splayed out to display the little fins along the inner curves, a subtle sign of submission. “Not fighting that. I won’t be arguing that I’m out of my element here. And have been for so very long.”

“You were here when the Old Goat fell from power, weren’tcha? Can’t say I remember that.”

“No shit, you weren’t alive. I was around though. Been here for a long, long time.” He sighed, and he almost sounded... nostalgic? But also so weary and tired. He was an old troll, and it showed in his face. His hair had streaks of salt and pepper through it and his horns were impressive to say the least. And even though the scars had faded with time, they were still dark and ragged pulling tight across his face and keeping it from falling apart. One of the two had carved a chunk out of his lip. He was the visage of a fierce troll, even if he’d be easy to roll over and gut like the fish he was.

“How old _are_ you motherfucker?” Gamzee asked, tossing something he’d plucked off the desk back.

Dualscar raised an eyebrow slowly, echoing that tired sigh, “Old enough to know better but don’t.” He laughed, folding his hands in his laugh.

Gamzee joined him, snickering, “Not as long as you’re running the ‘entertainment’ branch at least.”

He shook his head, gesturing to the young Makara, “You never answered my question though.”

A quick nod, leveling his gaze on his elder, “Right you are. Good job spotting that.”  
  
The seatroll fidgeted in his seat. He swallowed hard and his fins twitched, but he said nothing. He would wait for his answer. Gamzee laughed, that gross honking laughter that could set a room on edge.

“Just poking my head in is all. Looking at the gang as a whole today, tryin’ to assess things. I want to make some _modifications_ to our little party and I need to know what motherfuckers are staying, and who’s going. You know, nothing major.” He sneered before wiping his thumb under his nose. “Nothing you need to get your glutes worked up about.”

Dualscar blinked at him, the secondary set, then the primary.

“You... mean to tell me that you’re, for lack of a better phrase, trimmin’ off the fat?”

Gamzee nodded once, “Right on the money. I’ve been seeing lately that some of the murals running around here aren’t as... savory as I first thought. Or that His Hilariousness thought. Pan rotted- But nah my mirthful little guppy, you’re golden right where you are.”

Careen relaxed a little, his shoulders sagging a little in relief. He nodded a few times, “That’s good to hear. Wouldn’t want the countless sweeps I’ve put into this organization to go to waste without a fight.”

The young troll stood up, stretching out with a groan. He rounded the chair and opened the door, smiling back at him, “Don’t worry Dualscar, it wouldn’t be a fight at all.”

The indigo left the seatroll alone in his study, walking back out through the halls, brushing his hand over the horns of a few of the prostitutes in the dim light. He left without another word to anyone, and it was a while after that before Dualscar came back out of his office. A deep foreboding nature clung to his words. He settled back into his work with practiced ease, but the ominous air about Gamzee always left him feeling a little scattered. He knew his place, and knew very well that the Two-Faced troll was not one to be trifled with. He’d learned his lesson last time.

The city outside was cold and damp and dark, but Gamzee buttoned his hood up past his horns, leaving his first message delivered. He’d let that fester and stir, and soon it would be a nasty infected wound of worry and fear. Bubbling puss and oozing when he pulled at the seams. Dualscar was a pleasant troll, loyal and strong, but the time was coming that the gang gave way to something new. Something brighter.

A Golden Age.

* * *

 

“Madam Spinneret?”  
  
“What is it?”

“The young Makara is here to speak to you.”

“Show him to the door.”

“Ma’am?”  
  
“I don’t want to look at that little slimeball. Tell him he needs to get out of my territory, now.”

“Oh u-um, y-yes ma’am!”

Gamzee stood in the middle of the empty hall, this branch dark and musty smelling. Like catacombs and caves. He wrinkled his nose when the little rustblood skittered back down the hall, head hung low. He was as submissive as one could get and he reeked of fear. It was enough to make him a little nauseous.

“My apologies Master Makara, the Mistress asked me to see you to the door.”

His head snapped up, watching down the hallway at the door. “Did she now?”

“Y-yes. I believe she’s not feeling well and does not wish to see anyone.”

The indigo laughed and it echoed through the maze of halls. The rust flinched, shrinking a little, shaking in his boots. Gamzee slapped a hand on his shoulder and pulled his face up, “Glad it wasn’t a question then, huh?”

He shoved him back into the wall, walking past him, back towards the door. When he turned to look over his shoulder, the lowblood was gone.

The door opened without a problem, not locked so the soldiers could come and go as was needed, seeing to their Queen. Mindfang sat in an armchair by a fireplace, a grand polar bear rug and walls lined in books and treasures.

“Livin’ in the dark times still Faliah?”

The troll was out of her chair with her sword in hand before her name had finished leaving his lips. She snarled at him, suddenly fire and brimstone and the darkest anger. Long curly hair and wide eyes. Tired eyes and deep wrinkles flanking her once perfect blue lips. Gamzee put his hands up slowly, but his smile never fell. He opened his mouth to say something, but she cut him off,

“My name should never paint your hideous maw. Don’t say it again Makara.”

“Squanderin’ a precious motherfucking gift like that, s’kinda disgraceful don’t you think O’ Madam Marquise Spinneret _Mindfang_?” Gamzee’s words were laced with spite and mockery.

“I abandoned that name when I lost everything. You will not be saying it. That’s not who I am, and you know that.” She stepped up towards him, angling her sword so the hook in the blade pressed under his chin.

The threatening edge to her voice, and the edge of the blade against his skin did nothing to sway him. He stood strong, holding onto his mocking sneer.

“Faliah is an old word isn’t it? It means ‘lucky’, ‘happy’, ‘ _fortunate_ ’ even.”

“I worked for what I have! I worked for the life I live. Disgusting and despicable as it is. That’s not who I am, and it never was.” She spat, and her sword broke skin, indigo dripping down the blue metal slowly.

Gamzee growled, snatching the sword from her, slicing his hand open on the edge. He ripped it from her hand and grabbed her by the throat, holding her still but not squeezing. He could. It’d be easy. But he didn’t. He threw her sword away and his voice was calm and cold,

“You are not alive for how much work you’ve done. You are alive because it is in the plans you are kept around. Had The Grand Highblood not seen your potential for some of the most motherfucking deceitful acts, you would have been culled sweeps ago. You are alive, living on an act of kindness, because you’re useful.”

He tossed her aside, circling around her, licking the blood from his hand,

“You are alive because you provide us with something. But more and more lately you’ve been defying the Messiahs, lashing out against every troll you meet, and refuse to be at least hospitable with anyone. You have become a shell of the troll you used to be _Mindfang_.”

The elder sat on the floor, her hair hanging in her face. Eight pupils trained on him as he stepped around her, dripping his color on her rug. She wiped her mouth, but said nothing.

“I came to see you tonight, to impart upon you some wicked motherfucking knowledge. Give you a second chance. But you cut me open and spit in my face. You would be a rotting corpse without us, without the gracious gifts and charitable nature the Messiahs have taken on you. I’m trimming the fat, the dead flesh and the useless limbs.”

He crouched down next to her, grabbing a fist full of hair, eyes flickering that horrid purple. Voodoos slipped into her mind, curling and coiling and lashing out, dumping fear and agony into all the deepest cracks. He grabbed her chin, but she was too far gone to the images and memories haunting her.

“You’re right.” Gamzee said quietly, “You’re not lucky. That name don’t suit you at all. We’re nothing but kind, bringing you into our good graces. But just like the mirthless heretic, the sinner you are, you’re being cast aside. The light won’t shine on you much longer sister. And I hope for your sake that the darkness you fall into rends your body and mind useless quickly.”

He pushed her away, her mouth still open, screaming silently. The light flashed in her eyes, bright and harsh, pale blue streaming down her twisted expression. He left her to writhe in her guilt and agony, leaving the door open as he left her hive, not another troll in sight.

She’d be dead soon, whether it was by his hand or another’s. The Messiahs were no longer smiling upon her...

The little golden miracle’s apartment was just around the block from where the Serket’s kept their company, which made things easier. A light drizzle had Gamzee tucking himself into his hoodie just a little deeper. Standing under the awning of a pizza place, the smell of food and rain surrounding him he was content to watch Sollux’s apartment for a little while.

He would go and visit his spade, but the last he saw of him, he was in no shape to be seeing anyone. Not even his hatemate, and admitting that was hard. He promised he’d take care of him, and sometimes that meant giving him the space he needed.

But also because the longer he stood in the dark and the cold and the rain, the more he noticed. No one had gone up into the house, and he hadn’t left. Everything around his apartment was left just as Gamzee had left it. Which included the SUV sitting on the corner. With bright eyes he watched the vehicle, the dent in the driver’s side hood lessened, but still noticeable. Neither figure moved in the dark, possibly asleep on the job. He really wouldn’t put it past them. Fucking pigs.

For now though, he was going to leave Sollux alone. He needed time to let things sink in.

Gamzee had other people he needed to talk to before the night was up.

He shifted out from under the awning, walking out into the rain to leave Sollux and his watchful boys in blue to themselves.

“Rez. Hey, Terezi.” Dave hisses, sitting frozen in his seat.

The troll’s breathing hitched as she stirred.

“Don’t move.” He instructed.

“What’s going on?” She asked, voice still thick with sleep but alert.

“Makara’s at the end of the street. He’s just... standing there. Kinda freaking me out. Can you really get any creepier dude?”

“Well, is he drooling a little?” Terezi sneered up at him from her spot curled up in the passenger’s seat.

Dave opened his mouth, gaping before it clicked, “Okay yeah, retraction on that statement. He could he a hell of a lot creepier. Gold Star Makara for not being as much of a disgusting creeper as you could of been.”  


The little troll snickered until Dave patted her shoulder. She pulled herself up in her seat, rolling her shoulder, “Has there been any new developments on Lemon Berry’s status?”

  
“The infamous dorkapus has not been spotted. Hope the idiot hasn’t keeled over in there. I mean, he’s not dead if the highblood’s still watching his house. Unless he’s waiting for someone to find the corpse, which just adds another layer of, ‘damn you’re a freak’ to this mess.”

  
Terezi nodded, “He’s still alive. I don’t smell death anywhere around here and that stuff’s strong. He’s fine.”

Dave leaned his head back, sighing quietly. Terezi reached over, patting his knee. She leaned up, brushing a kiss across his cheek, “Get some sleep Peaches, I’ll keep watch.

The human scoffed at her little joke before he pulled his seat back, watching her over his glasses until he fell asleep, letting his partner keep tabs on their work.

* * *

 

“Aaawfully quiet lately, don’t you think wiggler?”

The Grand Highblood rounded the little group of chairs, sitting down in the one across the low table from Gamzee. It creaked in protest but he ignored it. Gamzee stared at him, unimpressed.  


“That was a question.” He leaned back in his chair, hands folded in his lap.

“An open ended inquiry that could have a million meanings. What’re you getting at?”

Jarack leveled his eyes on the young troll, inspecting his claws, “You know exactly what I’m motherfucking talking about.”  


Gamzee locked up, teeth creaking with the pressure he put on them, keeping himself from snarling and lashing out. He licked his lips, “I thought that ruckus with my little goldblood and Slick getting away with the money _and_ the sopor was the opposite of quiet.”

He snapped his teeth at his descendant, “The Messiahs Gamzee! You know what I’m talking about, quit jerking the subject around.” He growled, baring his teeth.

Condescension crossed his face and he smiled, wry and crooked. He mirrored The Grand Highblood’s position, picking his leg up. The colors of the Chucklevoodoos didn’t cross his eyes, but his voice did drop, goosebumps breaking out across the elder’s arms, his skin crawling under the wavering pressure of his voice.  


“We’ve been quiet because you’ve been quiet. Would you like us to start demanding blood of the innocent? We motherfucking will. You are our most favorite priest Jarack Makara, but it is the most abhorrent acts, to question us.”  


He was silent, the hair on the back of his neck raised, his stomach clenched tight.  


“Would you like to see what happens to those who slip from faith child? We could give you a small taste.”

The question went unanswered. Instead the lights flared, harsh and painful, echoing though both trolls. The Grand Highblood gripped his chair, claws tearing through the padding to dig into the wood. Gamzee stayed still, in complete control. The elder’s breath hitched and he squirmed in his seat, the massive troll reduced to nothing with so little effort.

His hold on the Messiahs was slipping, but his hold on his own voodoos were as strong as ever. It had been so quiet lately, the stirrings in the silence though, he wanted to grab hold and drag it to the light. He needed to hear them strong and screaming through his thinkpan again. It had been so quiet. And to hear him questioning things like this, it made him sick.  


Gamzee was the rule around here. He was the voice of the Messiahs. They were him. And also him.

And he wasn’t going to tolerate an expendable pawn such as The Grand Highblood questioning what had been set in stone for sweeps, and would continue for sweeps. Yes, things were quiet now, but he already knew just what he needed to do to hear them loud and clear again soon.  
  
The Golden Age was indeed upon them all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sources say that the three wise monkey's proverb "may also signify a code of silence in gangs, or organized crime."


	11. The Bait

His arms wrapped around Sollux, holding him close, hands gliding over his body slowly, purposefully. The two huddled close together in the void, the yellowblood perched in his indigo’s lap, straddling his hips. He pushed open mouthed kisses, cool and soft against his throat, marking him in the sweetest ways. A happy hum and a small smile, mingled with the pleasure of where their hips were joined.

Gamzee’s hands moved over his sides, up his back, pulling his head up slowly to kiss him, the reddest Sollux had ever tasted. It had been a progressive thing with them. Or the visage of him. Every time Sollux fell into unconsciousness, he would have a nightmare. But always, always the fears were chased away by his cool arms wrapping around him.

He hissed dark things to him in the emptiness.

“I’m the only one.”

“You only have me.”

“Good to no other but me.”

“Nobody but me Sollux.”

“I’m the only one you can rely on.”

“Only me.”

But for all the dark, cold words, the way he held Sollux, it made him feel safe. Made him feel like it was alright, like his words and what he said, were right. And they were! They had to be! He said them with such passion and so often that of course they were right!

Since he’d been suspended he’d not gotten a message from any of his co workers. Not even the ones he considered friends. His brother and father screamed at him about how it was all his fault in his dreams. And it was, it had to have been. He let them go out that night, when they all knew it was dangerous because, ‘that’s the risk we take’. Sollux let them go and he let them die and their golden blood was on his hands. But even with that grief wearing him down, no one had ever moved to help him. No one tried to ease the pain.

And now this highblood was hovering around, coming to him in his dreams and whispering how he finally had someone to rely on and depend on and someone who would keep him safe.

Of course he was right.

How could he be wrong?

Those hands roamed over his body, the slick chill of him buried in Sollux’s nook, so cold and so hot. He panted against him, returning his kisses with such enthusiasm. The prickle of claws startled him but it was alright. They were hatemates. The pain was a good thing. Gamzee would keep him warm and safe and hate him in all the best and worst ways.

It would alright as long as he had the highblood’s arms wrapped around him because Gamzee was all that he had in this world. He was all he needed.

Sollux woke with a start, the light past the curtains bright and stinging. He shifted to look at the clock on the nightstand and cringed.

Without another thought he threw the blankets off, damp with sweat and genetic material, his bulges half unsheathed and a thick wet patch under him. He groaned and climbed out of bed. He slipped on the covers and stumbled out into the living room, turning the corner to close his gross naked self in the bathroom. Even if he wasn’t doing much, he wasn’t going to lay in his own filth. And he had a small issue he needed to take care of anyway.

The sound of rushing water filled the small apartment. It was bright outside, but Gamzee slipped into the house without a sound, the door clicking closed behind him went unnoticed past the pound of the water in the bathroom.

Good, he was showering. That meant he was at least still alive and functional. His house was TRASHED though. Dishes piled up and the garbage overflowing. Well, at least they’d made it to the places they needed to be instead of clogging up his respite block. He poked around the house, looking at things and setting things out of place, though he doubted that anything really had it’s own place. There wasn’t too much to it, but Sollux still managed to have a mess. Talent that was.

If he was in the shower, it would be dumb if Gamzee snuck up on him with his clothes on. Especially since he was here to get him to come out with him tonight. A little down time before then wasn’t anything bad though. He stripped down, tossing his clothes over the chair at the nutrition block table.

A deep breath and he could just _smell_ Sollux in the air, a trail from the bedroom to the bathroom. God it was good. He licked his lips and stepped up to the door, his ear flicking at the sound of the little yellowblood’s voice on the other side.

“F-fuck GZ, it’th tho- mmngh, tho cold.” He whined, breathless.

A shiver ran down Gamzee’s spine at the sound of his name on his spade’s lips. He was fantasizing about him in the shower. He opened the door slowly, slipping in and leaving it open a crack, not trusting it to click closed unnoticed this time. A thin curtain hid Sollux from him, his silhouette set low, sitting on the floor of the stall. The smell of soap and sex wrapped around him, kicking up a quiet hum in him. He listened to the soft panting of his partner, waiting for the best time to pull the curtain back and blindside him.

Gamzee pulled the curtain back, up near the top to look down at his spade in the spray, just enough to watch him, but not alert him. He was too lost to the pleasure anyway.

Sitting on the floor of the shower, slumped back with his long legs spread wide. He held his bulges in one hand, the showerhead set to three thick streams of water slamming into his nook. The spray Gamzee could feel was cold against even his skin. Sollux bucked into his hand, against the water, mouth hung open and eyes jammed shut.

He let his head fall against the wall with a groan, squirming against it all. Slowly he let go of his bulges, using his hand to prop himself up more, his hips moving up against the water drilling into him. Both bulges twined and coiled together, slicking across his skin, the gold being washed down the drain as soon as it coated his skin. Heavy with blood his bulges writhed against his thigh, seeking out friction.

Gamzee bit his lip when they sank into his nook.

Sollux’s claws scraped against the floor of the shower, “Gamzee~” He groaned, panting harder now.

He tried to gain his composure quickly, shuffling from foot to foot before he put on a nice sneer, “You called?”

He about jumped out of his skin, the shower head falling from his hand to skitter across the floor, spinning and spraying the walls and Gamzee. He backpedaled, shaking it off with a huff. He stepped past the curtain and Sollux growled up at him, his bulges still shifting in his nook, stretching him in the most delicious looking display,  
  
“What are you doing?!”

“Heard the plea of a lost lowblood, just begging for me. I came running. You weren’t too lonely without me, yeah?”

Sollux shook his head, turning the showerhead to spray him in the face with it, “You’re a prick.”

Gamzee took the showerhead from him, letting the streams beat against the base of his bulges, making him hiss through his teeth, clawing at the floor of the shower more. With a gentle touch he pulled Sollux free from himself with a slick pop. He licked his lips slowly, looking him over. He leaned in, catching him in a rough kiss, tugging on his lip.

He hissed and pulled his head back, licking the blood beading there, watching Gamzee looming in front of him. Sollux reached slowly, pushing two fingers up into his nook, his bulge not yet unsheathed. He could feel it in the sheath along the top of his nook, shifting and pushing to worm it’s way free. Gamzee groaned, the movement of the jets against Sollux's groin unexpected and sporadic. He was unable to brace himself for it as it passed over nerves that had been ready and firing away for a while already. Quick but gentle he worked Gamzee open, his other hand teasing at the opening of his sheath.

Sollux arched up, aiming for a kiss but falling short with a moan, pressed cheek to cheek with him. That frigid bulge pushed out, wrapping around his thumb. He pulled his fingers from inside him, shifting him down to so he knelt over Sollux. He rolled his hips up, his bulges winding up around Gamzee’s still emerging.

The highblood settled down over him, head turned to clamp down into his shoulder, fangs sinking into the curve of his neck. Sollux growled at him, but never returned the pain. He bucked up into him hard, wrapping a hand around their bulges. Gamzee used one hand to brace himself against the wall, the other hand held the showerhead.  
  
Positioning it behind and under them, the three jets pulsing against their nooks, so very close together in this position.

He moaned around the flesh in his teeth, grinding against Sollux. The yellowblood held his arm, but never sank his claws in, panting harsh and fast. He reached up to tug on his hair, then smoothed it out before he clenched up, tugging again.

Bucking and grinding against one another, Gamzee biting where he could reach and staking claim, the movements were jerky enough that the showerhead and it’s torturous beat wobbled between their nooks, not overwhelming but just good enough. Yellow and purple swirled down the drain, the water cold against them. The cold was perfect for the lowblood, it reminded him even stronger of the highblood perched over him, and the chill made Sollux even hotter when his bulges wrapped thick around Gamzee.

This hadn’t exactly been what he’d come here to do today, but there were NO regrets.

What peaked the juggalo's interest though, was just how little Sollux was fighting back and scratching at him. He was being gently, soft even. Not at all how a spade should act in the act. He didn't bring it up, just sucked harsh bruises along his throat and cursed in his ear. He cursed back, so Gamzee tried something different.

"H-Hate you Sollux."

For a few moments, he was silent, watching his partner's face hovering in front of him, nose to nose. He closed his eyes and gave a quick, almost reluctant sigh, "Hate you more."

The pieces clicked into place then and the highblood hid a wicked grin against the side of Sollux's face, purring quietly, a smooth methodical rhythm between them.

"Who's the motherfucker who'll keep your carcass safe?"

"Yo-you are."

"Who's the chucklefuck who's always pick you up and outta the dirt?" He pressed, thrusting down against him harder.

"Mmngh- You!"

"Who's the only one you got in this crazy world?"

"F-fuck, Gamzee PLEATHE~" Sollux groaned, claws scrambling uselessly against his arms.

"That's what I like to hear." Gamzee smiled, licking a harsh line over the closing holes in his partner’s shoulder.

A few more thrusts and Sollux let his head fall back, sparking weakly under the water, his nook tightened around nothing but the pound of the water against him and Gamzee's ridges against his bulges. A warm wave of fluid rushed past his legs, swirling down the drain and tainting the air with the heavy pleasant musk of it. He slumped against the shower wall, holding his shoulder, pulling his hand away to see how bad the bleed was.

Gamzee reached up, turning the heat up enough to simulate the lowblood's heat against his nook, staying where he was above him, his cold bulge still winding around the slowly retreating set Sollux kept up inside his scrawny body. Sollux sat up, wrapping one hand around the thick indigo bulge, the other on his ribs to hold him steady. Using the water was a method Gamzee'd never thought about, he'd always had the good options on hand, but he had to admit the neverending onslaught of warm water pushing at him was more than he could ever get from some bitch between his legs lapping at his nook, that was for sure.

Sollux worked up and down his length quickly, but never squeezed more than was pleasurable. Gamzee growled into his hair, "Bite me."

Again the hesitance cropped up and it only helped to cement just how tightly he had this little troll wrapped around his finger. All the dreams had been telling him that Gamzee was the only one he had, the only one who cared. And that had twisted Sollux's think pan into thinking that was the deepest, reddest shit ever. On the contrary, he hated this little fuck with all his being. But at the same time, if he ever piped up about where they stood, then Gamzee had no problem using him and abusing him, dragging him along for the ride because he hated him so deeply.

Sollux was all his.

He came in a sudden flood when Sollux bit into his shoulder, tugging hard. It was only the once, and then he let go and licked the bite, that strange split tongue rolling against tender meat. But the damage was done, and the genetic material splashed down, coating Sollux's legs under him. Gamzee leaned on the wall over Sollux, catching his breath, ignoring the burn from the bite he'd left. He leaned down, licking a line along his jaw, turning the water off and sitting back, claws leaving welts across his leg.

Sollux sighed, watching him with some resignation, as if he were upset about something, but didn’t want to show it, “You never anthwered my quethtion douchefuck.”  
  
He hummed, raising both eyebrows, still sluggish.

“What are you even doing here?” Sollux asked, slicking his hair back out of his face.  
  
“Cordially inviting my spade out for a night on the town. Such a gentletroll I am.” Gamzee smiled, “Can’t be leaving a motherfucker cooped up in his establishment when there’s excitement to be had. Just wouldn’t be right.”

The troll across from him just watched him, dabbing at his shoulder now and again. He licked his chapped lips and Gamzee piped up again, “That MEANS, my primary lover, that I’d find something to get those scrawny hips into.” He paused, “Unless you wanna be going out like that. Not that I’m gonna be arguing any.”

“Where are-”

“You wanna get outta this dank enclosure and get some fresh air in those air sacs, or do you want to stay here and let the pigs who told you you were bad keep you down? You’re a free troll right now, live a little.” Gamzee smiled, flicking hair out of his face.

Sollux stared for a minute before pulling himself to his feet with a long drawn out, “Fiiiiiine.”

Gamzee hopped up next to him, “Now we’re talking!” He nipped him in the ear, skirting out of the bathroom.

“Woah, where do you think you’re going?”

He poked his head back in, half in his shirt already, “Don’t worry your spark addled pan on it Sollux, I’ll be back in a wink to whisk your ass away into the night forever!”

Gamzee disappeared again before Sollux could stop him and by the time he was out of the shower and had at least his briefs on, he was gone. Sollux stared out at his empty apartment, lips pursed. Alright then, that went well.

* * *

 

“Alright boys! I’ve got a little announcement for you so I’d clear out those hear ducts and pay some close motherfucking attention because I’m only saying this once.”

His voice was booming in the warehouse, a few trolls cringed as he passed through them to the center of the room. Spade Slick sat under the spotlight, tied to a chair. His one good eye was black and blue, nearly swollen shut and his lip was split. Gamzee patted him on the back,

“We’ve got the police coming to bust us tonight!”

A smile spread across his face, his eyebrows high and his face expressive. “Now, what’s standard procedure when we know we’re gonna get our asses busted?”

One of the trolls close to him spoke up, “We get the fuck out of here!”

“That’s where you’d be so motherfucking wrong.” Gamzee spun around, sweeping his legs. He caught him around the back with one arm, closing his jaws around his throat. He sunk teeth in, but not enough to damage the bastard too much. The troll went limp in his arms, shaking in his grip. A gurgled whimper, a whine of submission. Gamzee dropped him and gesture wide to the rest of the room, “Wanna try that again?”

“You wait for fuckin’ orders morons.” Slick groaned, spitting out blood along one of the troll’s shoes.

Before she could react Gamzee threw his arms up, “A goddamn miracle!” He laughed, hooking the bloody club under the human’s chin to angle his face up, “You’re pretty logical for a human my brother. Such a shame you laugh when you cheat us out of what is rightly ours.”

“Like hell!” He spat, “You and your whole carnival here jipped me so hard. Still staggering from that blow. You’re all a bunch a' cheapskates! Tightwads the lot a’ ya!” Slick struggled against his bonds, yelling at anyone he could.

Gamzee growled low and menacing, snapping his teeth at him. “Don’t get fucking smart Slick. We set the prices and you don’t like it, too bad motherfucker.”

“You-”  
  
“But you did more than just cheat us for a good deal of boon, you ran your mouth to the pigs that keep your ass safe, Messiahs only know how. You told them all about the little ‘goldblood fucktoy’ and got his scrawny ass kicked outta the force.” He snarled.

Slick laughed, licking up the blood dripping from his crooked nose, “Aw no, did I do that? Such a shame is ol’ Spades Slick. He told the cops one a' their babies was playing with the bad boys.” He struggled against his bonds more, “Just like I’m tellin’ your boys you’ve been fucking a pig!”

“Gonna tell my boys I’ve broken the mind of the task’s strongest psionic and turned his pan inside out? He doesn’t know the difference between up and down unless I motherfucking tell him. He’s lost and all he’s got is me. You really think you’re gonna sway my men Slick?” Gamzee’s face was flat, devoid of emotion, one eyebrow arched and expectant.

Slick swallowed hard, “You really broke ‘im?”

“Poor motherfucker thinks the sun shines out my ass.” Gamzee shook his head with a smile.

This was the tricky part of his job. He did genuinely feel for Sollux, but to tell his men he had such a glaring weakness. If they were to retaliate and try to strike him from his position of power, they’d go after Sollux first. And as much as he knew he could hold his own in a brawl, an unexpected bullet to the head wasn’t really something that could be avoided. So he had to lie and treat Sollux like garbage in front of them. Honestly, he treated him pretty badly overall, but once Sollux was Painted, it would be easier. Once there really was no turning back...

Gamzee turned, gesturing wide to his gang, “How long has it been since we had a good sparker in our ranks? They break so damn easy. This one’s strong, and he’s all mine. How’s that sound?”

The gang cheered, throwing fists and weapons into the air.

Having a psionic in such a position of power in a gang hierarchy was a rare thing. But such a useful tool. They had such ridiculous potential for destruction and devastation, but they were broken so easily. Sollux though, he was strong, he could take this. As soon as he belonged to Gamzee in every sense of the word, life would be good.

Gamzee would have his gang and his power, and he would have Sollux by his side, an eager lapdog and his link to the Messiahs. They were so loud with him around. They screamed so loud, filling him with their light, guiding him down the path. This was the best thing for the gang and for their futures. If it was so loud near Sollux, he had to be the right thing. They wouldn’t shine on him so brightly otherwise.

He let his arms drop, letting the laughter he hadn’t realized he’d been partaking in die in his chest. He sighed, setting the club against Slick’s jaw.

“Now, I’m gonna go get that little spark of mine, and you boys are gonna play all nice like. And if Slick here gets too chatty, you know what to do.”

Gamzee let the club roll off his face, smearing blood as it went. He walked away through his men. Excitement ran through the crowd, because news of a new firework in the ranks, and one linked to Gamzee? They’d be unstoppable soon.  
  
Soon the city would be theirs and that would be one more splotch of paint across the map.


	12. The Switch

Sollux spun around quickly when Gamzee opened the door, “Where ith it?”

“Subject in question?” He asked, pulling his hands out of his pockets to turn them up open palm.

“You moved shit. There wath a chain on the dethk. Ath cute ath your irritating little black shenaniganth are GZ, I need that.” The psionic said, anger etched into his features.

“How you manage to know where shit is in this mess is a mystery to us all.” Gamzee shook his head, rounding around Sollux to step into the living room. He pulled the chain with a little pendant on it down from the light fixture. He’d seen it a time or two before on Sollux’s person even if he didn’t wear it in plain sight. He handed it over, hooked over a claw.

Sollux snatched it away, looking it over before shoving it in his pocket. Gamzee raised an eyebrow and Sollux ignored it, gesturing to the door, “We gonna get going? Or were you planning on blindthiding me with round two?”

A chuckle that turned into honking laughter before he shook his head, “Not only don’t have the time for it at present, but you’d clearly see it coming and what’s the fun in that?”

He lead the way, a quick walk a few blocks over. Halfway there Gamzee asked the smaller troll walking in stride next to him, “D’you know when you moved in you were dropping your skinny bones right into Painted territory? A block and a half off the weapons base?”

Sollux’s eyes flicked up to him, but he didn’t say anything.

He stood closer to Gamzee as they walked through the dimming light, almost as if he wanted to reach out and hold his arm. He pulled the collar of his jacket up higher instead. Sollux never bit back when Gamzee teased him, or he did, but all the enthusiasm and drive behind it was pure snark instead of a moving hatred. The boy quite literally just couldn’t help the sass that dripped from every pore. Saving grace, at least he wasn’t a diva.

“What are you thnickering at?”

“Nothing my dual eyed bitch, not a damn thing.” Gamzee wiped the smile off his lips, turning them down an alley to open a door halfway down, tucked back into the quiet part of town. Or at least here in the Painted territory where it wasn’t second guessed.

He let Sollux step into the darkness first, the shift of his boys inside and the light in the middle of the room casting long eerie shadows, twisted and sharp, smiling with deceit and malice.

At the end of the block Dave had watched, Terezi’s ear flicking at the sounds. She inhaled deep and asked, “Where do you think they’re going?”

“Couldn’t say, but that’s the first we’ve seen Captor all week. I doubt it’s anywhere good if he’s with Makara.” Dave answered.

Terezi shifted and fidgeted in her seat, hands twisting along the length of her cane, smelling them leave. The car started up and they pulled it to a crawl up to the corner. She put her hand up and he stopped. He leaned forward, watching them round another corner.

They stayed as far out of sight as they could, but when they rounded the last corner, the two trolls had vanished. Pulling through the streets slowly, Terezi hissed, and Dave watched through shaded lenses as Gamzee smirked at them in the doorway. He saluted once, lazy and informal before he shut the door behind him.

He knew they were there and he was mocking them.

Gamzee lead Sollux through the room of trolls, the hair on the back of his neck raised and he jaw set to cut a snarl Gamzee could just see rippling under the surface. Eyes wide and muscles rigid, this was definitely not what he’d expected to be doing tonight. But they all parted, moving out of his way, male and female trolls with a wide array of horns, humans dashed into this corrosive mix.

It was a healthy range of members, some painted with the gang’s marks, mostly the highbloods, but a good deal of the lowbloods and humans still held the gang’s infamous rage smiles. In symbols on their shirts, tattoos on their arms or stark white masks with the coils of purple painted. That symbol was one that was etched into Sollux’s mind forever.

After all, they’d carved it into his father and brother’s chests.

“Thlick?” Sollux’s voice caught in his throat.

The man was broken and bruised, a gag in his mouth now. Apparently he’d been a little too chatty. He had a handful more bruises and his nose was dripping blood, staining his clothes. But he looked up, squinting with his one good eye, relatively speaking, and gave his best smile. The dried blood and bruises pulled and cracked, making him wince and drop it.

Sollux looked up at Gamzee quickly, searching for answers.

The indigo hooked his club under his chin again, stepping around the human to set claws against his jaw and pulling his head back to expose that pretty pink throat.

“What the hell ith going on Gamzee?” Sollux questioned.

Every eye in the room was on him and he wanted nothing more than to squirm and run and hide. God it was unsettling being the center of attention. Sollux turned sharp, snarling at them as he did. He took a few of them by surprise and when he looked back, the highblood had a proud smile on his face. He patted Slick’s cheek hard, making him wince and pull away with a growl.

“What the hell’s going on brother, is that this slick motherfucker has committed some high motherfucking treason against the Messiahs.”

“You didn’t get your money! That’th what thith ith about. You got jipped out of a quarter of a million dollarth and you’re gonna kill him for it? Ith hith life really worth that?” Sollux asked, dumbfounded.

Gamzee shook his head, letting the human’s head fall back, “Of course not! No, this little rat’s gonna be a lesson for the rest of his rag tag gang of heretics. He’s their leader, fallen so easily. If he’s such a... picture of heath, then his boys are gonna think twice about encroaching on Painted turf, and cheating us out of what is rightly ours.”

Sollux opened his mouth to argue further but he stepped around Slick, winding his hand through his hair, holding the side of his face. He leaned in, pressing their bodies together and whispered to him, husky and quiet enough none of the others would hear, “Wouldn’t be killing anyone in front of you. Those miracle orbs have seen too much death already.”

He nuzzled the side of his face before letting go and stepping away again. He gestured wide to the room, “But this- This Sollux! This is what you’ve got to look forward too, you feeling me? The warm embraces of brethren who understand the plight. Who’ve lost their families and themselves to the system, just like you did. Losing those two, and then they twisted you up in knots. You’ve gotta be roiling with rage at that. They made you some poor motherfucker you never were.”

He weaved his way through the other members, his voice the only thing Sollux could hear. Not the panting of Spades Slick next to him, or the shift of the countless bodies in the room.

“You wanted a nice quiet life fixing computers and making wicked codes. A nice sweet pitiful troll on one arm and maybe a feisty little motherfucking spade. A moirail if times got tough. An easy life without a lot of stress.”

That all did sound really nice, even Sollux couldn’t deny it.

“You told them not to go. You told them things’d go wrong. You told them Sollux, but they didn’t listen. They went off and got themselves killed. They gave up the ghost and you turned to a life you didn’t want. You didn’t want to be like them, but you did it. For the vengeance, for the reprisal and the blood on your hands! You were gonna make ‘em all pay for what they did. You did it for them, them who never listened to a motherfucking word you said!”

Sollux’s blood ran cold. He was right. Neither of them had listened to him. The pendant in his pocket felt like it was made of a metric ton of concentrated guilt. It burned a hole in his jacket, scorching hot with a gut wrenching stigma. Because he was right.

“They took all you had and all you wanted away from you. And then! And then! The pigs had the audacity to let it fester in you. Called you ‘Captor’ every day. Not ‘Sollux’. You weren’t Sollux to them. Every day, reminded you they were gone, and how good they were at their jobs and how much of a shame it all was. You tried getting someone to help your poor motherfucking ass, please, anyone! But she talked down to you like you were a wiggler stumbling around the big wide world all up and on your own.”

His voice through his speech had spun around him, weaving and ducking through the crowd. Sollux’s throat was thick with things he couldn’t place. It wasn’t tears, it was something else. It made his stomach clench and his lungs spasm.

“And you were.” Gamzee hissed in his ear.

He jumped, spinning to face him with a spark off his eyes and a lurch in his gut.

“You were a scared little wiggler without a family and without people who actually cared. You told them though. You told them all. And no one listened to you. No one paid any mind to the little golden tyke begging for someone to hear him. You didn’t want that life, and you don’t have to have it. They don’t want you there Sollux. They never did. You were a poor attempt to replace the boys they’d lost. But you’re not replacing anyone here. You’re a giant motherfucking burst of lights and fire here. We need you here, with us. We’ll take care of you.”

“Won’t we boys?”

The crowd around him was a murmur next to how loud Gamzee’s was, the silence between his words had been deafening. But still everything else felt so far away. Their whispers felt like silk gliding over his brain.

“A beacon to guide us.”

“Fire and light, destruction and power.”

“We’ll keep you safe.”

“We’ll take care of you Sollux.”

“You’ve got us here.”

“You’ve got me here.” Gamzee said softly, standing in front of him. He picked his chin up, kissing him every so tenderly. “Doesn’t that sound like nice?”

Sollux stared up at him, taking in all his features, softened and so pitiful. With a ragged sigh he let his head drop to Gamzee’s shoulder. He wrapped his arms up around him, hands splayed across his back.

“Yeth.” Sollux answered.

Gamzee’s soft face twisted into that wicked smile and he pet Sollux’s hair gently, the same expression held by every member of the gang he could see.

The shutters to the warehouse crashed shut, startling the room. Gamzee’s head snapped up, eyes wide with a growl. Sollux was the first to dash away, pushing his way through the crowd to throw the side door open.

The SUV squealed down the street, spinning tires around the corner, crashing through the puddles. Before it disappeared he saw Terezi’s face twisted into concern and fear. Dave was flat but grim, staring ahead at the road as they peeled out.

Sollux slumped against the brick wall, all energy gone from his limbs.

Gamzee collected him up, turning to hold him against his chest. He rest his chin in between Sollux’s horns, his voice was quiet, “I told you brother.”

Somber eyes shifted up to look the juggalo over. He pulled the pendant out of his pocket slowly, holding it gingerly, leaning against his spade to pet a finger over it. A tiny bee with a yellow body. One wing was a tiny sapphire, and the other wing was a little ruby. It had been a gift from his father to his mother when Mituna was brought home. When she’d died with Sollux’s clutch, Psiiya had kept it with him. And when Mituna was accepted onto the force, it was his gift.

The night they had left, they had been in such a rush that Mituna had forgotten it on the table. Sollux had spotted it a short time later and taken it out to him, but by the time he’d gotten there, Redglare had to take him aside. She told him his father and brother had been taken hostage. She told him to go home and get some rest, she’d have them out in no time. And she told him to hold onto it. He’d had it since then.

Looking the little bee over, his grip on Gamzee’s shirt tightened. His chest was tight and he could feel the tears and regret bubbling up inside him, threatening to snatch him up and drag him under. Threatening to drown him. Sollux let it fall out of his hand, slipping through his fingers, dropping without a sound into the puddle under their feet.

He let Gamzee lead him away and didn’t look back.


	13. Tainted and Painted

“Change of plan my brothers!” Gamzee said, holding Sollux’s shoulder as they stepped through the room, silent.

The gang members parted, and they’d taken on an almost glum atmosphere. Stark silent and almost crestfallen. No one panicked that they’d been found and reinforcements were likely on their way. No one made a move. If Gamzee said scatter, they were gone. If he said jump, they’d already been off the ground, and if he wasn’t worried, they had no reason to be either. It set Sollux on edge how loyal they all were. Like some dysfunctional hivemind. It was disconcerting to say the least.

The psionic moved, mechanical and stiff. He was so exhausted, so numb. He’d start feeling better soon though, the gang and all their bright faces were there to look after him. They really had abandoned him. He watched them run away. Run away from him.

Slick couldn’t even pick his head up to look at them, drifting in and out of consciousness. Blood was crusted on his face and clothes. Gamzee picked his face up, and he blinked at him, sluggish.

Sollux’s voice cracked when he asked, “We’re letting him go, right?”

Gamzee behind him rubbing his shoulder, “Sorry brother, we can’t be doing that.”

Wide eyes he turned to look up at him, “You thaid he’d be an example, teach them a lethon not to get into it with you. You said I... wouldn’t have to watch you kill him.”

He stroked the side of his face, leaving Slick to slump back in his chair. “Shh, shh. Sollux, he _is_ an example. A shining example of why no one fucks with us. An example to his men, and to the ones who dumped you in the rain.”

“You’re really going to kill him?” Sollux’s voice was strained, choking around the lump of tears caught in his throat.

A gentle hand moved through his hair, the barest hint of the prickle of claws against his scalp. He rubbed his back with the other hand, nothing but the brightest red affections. His voice was quiet and calm, soothing.

“No Sollux, I'm not gonna kill him.”  
  
Sollux sighed quietly, his shoulders slumping. As he leaned against the highblood, relief flooded through him.

“You are.”

His blood ran cold at the sound of the words, and the serene expression across his face. Gamzee pulled a knife from his pocket, unfolding it slowly. He reached, taking Sollux’s hand in his, closing his fingers around the handle of the blade. He stood behind him, holding him close, guiding his motions. The highblood rest his head on his lover’s shoulder.

“You want this family? These motherfuckers who will care for you? You want someone to love you?”

“Yes.” His voice creaked under the pressure of the situation, trembling as it left him.

“Kill him.” Gamzee ordered, his voice a harsh whisper against his hair.

“I-”  
  
“Kill him and all of this is yours. We’re all you got left brother.”

He took Sollux’s had, guiding the knife against his arm, gripping around his hand tight to drag the blade through the flesh. Blood poured immediately and Slick squirmed, thrashing against his bindings. He growled through the gag, fear laced through his expression.

“It’s easy. Nice and smooth, such a simple little trick.” He cooed, running the blade through the blood.

The blade was turned sideways, smearing his own blood across his cheek. The human with his crimson blood and black eye and his purple blue bruises and his pink skin. Spades Slick whimpered quietly, watching the trolls in front of him, unable to pry his eyes off the malicious intent in the highblood’s eyes, barely masked blood lust. And the lowblood with his flat colored eyes and stoic face, useless beside himself at the other’s mercy.

Gamzee turned Sollux’s hand, angling the edge of the blade and pressed until the skin bowed. It never gave, and he let his hand slide down the psionics arm.

He had to do this alone.

“You can do it my most mirthful golden miracle. One long slice and you’re home. I promise.” Came his voice, a quiet chirr in Sollux’s ear.

Slick sat frozen, panting through the gag. He tried so hard to keep his eye trained on Sollux’s face, still expressionless. He was a cop, and justice and what was right was what he lived for. Right? RIGHT?

Wrong.

Justice and what was right was never on his mind. Vengeance and making those who had made him suffer, pay for what they’d done. That’s what he wanted. He watched his reflection in the blade and made the decision right then and there.

This organization would fall. And it would be by his hand.

Sollux would let them take him, let them keep him, let them have him. And when he had the strength and the trust and the momentum, he would flip them over and make them pay just like he’d always strived to do. He would do this for Psiiya. He would do this for Mituna. And he would do this for himself.

No matter the cost.

He gripped the knife tightly, pulling his arm back and swinging through. Skin and tendons and muscles caught the blade, and the blood sprayed from his throat. A low helpless gurgle as he choked on his fear and his blood. With a rough growl he pulled it all the way though with a sick squelch, red soaking his arm, splatters of it along his shirt and face. Sollux grit his teeth and Spades Slick slumped, his shirt a deep russet. He threw the knife down, the metal’s clang echoed through his head and turned to face them all.

A proud smile crossed Gamzee’s lips slowly and he opened his arms. Sollux caught him in a hug, burying his face into his shoulder.

“Isn’t it a purifying feeling? You’re new again. You did this on your own. No one to force your hand now. Wonderful job my sunburst. Couldn’t have done better myself.”

He said nothing, just held onto him.

Gamzee ran a claw through the blood soaking his arm, tracing a little Capricorn symbol into the gore, “Truly Painted now my most perfect dual motherfucker.”

“Thank you.” Sollux sighed, looking up at him.

“For what?” He asked, brushing hair out of his face.

“For... giving me a family again. It’th been a while thinthe I had people looking out for me.” He said quietly and turned to look at the gang still clustered around them. “Thank you.” He said to them, loud enough they could all hear him.

Wide grins and happy smiles. Murmurs of ‘happy to have you’ and ‘we’ll keep your ass safe’. In a way it was almost comforting to know they really did want to take care of him. But also a little unsettling because in due time, he would disband each and every one of them. One by one if he had to. He would because there was nothing else he wanted more than this. Nothing more than to watch it all burn.

Gamzee bent down, scooping the knife up of the floor where Sollux had dropped it, scuffing the blood through the concrete. He licked the blood off the knife, catching his lover’s eye and wiping the edge of it over his lip slowly, smearing red along his thin, chapped lips.

Sollux lapped it up out of instinct, without thinking, running that split tongue along his lips starting in the middle and pulling back at opposite corners. Gamzee laughed, low and happy, almost as if he was out of his own pan. He seemed hazy, too many smiles. This was just a mess of euphoria for him. The thrill of the kill and the taste of the blood always set him into a nice pleasant buzz.

He closed the knife, licking the spots off his fingers and slipped it into his pocket.

Sollux leaned against his arm, the smell of the blood overwhelming. It reminded him of things he didn’t want to remember. They fueled every move he made from this point forward, but he didn’t want to think of that night. That night in which he’d been one of the first on scene when they’d dumped the bodies.

He didn’t know who had done it, who was responsible, so he defaulted to blaming them all. They were the Painted and as such, they were all to blame. He’d pushed past Redglare and one of her boys when they’re dumped the four bodies. The trolls had been painted up, sneering down at him. They laughed and ran back to hide in the chaos.

He had found Mituna’s body first, shaking as he brushed his hair out of his face. He had a broken nose and cuts everywhere. Pale, no blood left in him. Mituna’s eyes had been closed, and he could bring himself to look into his eyes. He knew they’d be void of color, the psionics long dead with his brother. He cried, unrestrained. Agonizing screams.

His father was a few feet away. Eventually he brushed a hand down Mituna’s face, apologizing over and over and over. He crept to his father, but never made it. Halfway between the two men he looked up to, he could see that they had removed Psiiya’s head from his shoulders.

He didn’t even get to say goodbye.

Sollux couldn’t remember anything past that aside from the screaming and cursing and gut wrenching sobbing that made him vomit. He couldn’t piece together much after that for the next week. And after that was when he joined the force with awful intent.

“I’m tired GZ.” He mumbled, lost in his own head, the thoughts he didn’t want to deal with plaguing him.

“Alright then, we’ll get you safe and warm. You earned a good rest.” He said quietly. He turned to the others and his volume made Sollux cringe, “Clear out, show’s over. We’ve got a shining new beacon of hope, but we’re beating feet in case the pigs show up, hear me?”

Before he was done talking the group had started moving, taking off through all the exists of the little warehouse. An arm wrapped around his shoulder and Sollux looked at Slick, his gut twisting.

He was the first.

And he wouldn’t be the last.

He followed Gamzee out of the warehouse and through the streets quickly, though his own movements felt sluggish. He kept up pace though, the highblood smiling at him the whole way. He was so proud. Sollux still felt ill.

The place Gamzee let him rest was a huge round bed tucked into a dark room in a dark hideout. The sun had disappeared, but the clown troll laid next to him, curled around him in the oceans of blankets and pillows and pet his hair and humming softly as he let himself fall asleep, too numb and too tired to keep up the painful charade of consciousness.

* * *

 “I can’t go back there GZ. Like, I am phythically incapable of going back into that houthe at thith point.” Sollux spoke. He sat on the bed, the blankets a tangle around his legs, his arms resting against his knees.

Gamzee was pulling his clothes on, taking his sweet time and conversing with his lover. “Nah bro, I get that. Don’t get yourself in a tizzy about it. You need some of your shit and I can just scurry my glutes over and get it. It ain’t a single motherfuck.”

It had been a few days since... And Sollux had started to get to know a few trolls in the main branch well enough. He stayed his ass away from most of the bosses when they came around, but only because he needed for them not to know him well. He knew of them and about them, but they didn’t know much about him. He would be taking them out, in some hope that if he were to sever the head of the snake, the body would die.

That was the plan anyway.

He knew of Dualscar. The head of the ‘entertainment’ branch. Whores. Prostitutes. It’d be an easy kill if he could get Gamzee away so he could go and speak to Dualscar alone for a while.

Then there was Mindfang. He saw her once, all black fire and streaks of blue. She seemed like a downright terror in her old age. Crazy bat would be hard to get rid of, he wasn’t looking forward to it.

And then there was The Grand Highblood. The head of this whole fucking mess. Sollux didn’t even want to think about that.

But right now, he was wearing the same jeans he’d been in for the past few days, and he needed his computer. Much to his own dismay he couldn’t go back. Not yet. Gamzee had told him everything. They’d been watching his house, and chances were that now that they knew he was definitely working with the Painted, they would hear nothing out of him except a guilty plea. Of course that wasn’t how it worked, but from an outside perspective and anyone not in his fuck all of a think pan, he couldn’t blame them for assuming the worst.

He couldn’t go back.

But Gamzee could, and he was.

The taller troll climbed up onto the bed next to Sollux, leaning over the side to slide a full bucket under the frame, rolling back to pulling him into a hug. He kissed against his temple, “Gimme the list again, just to make sure I ain’t up and forgetting anything.”  
  
“Clotheth, my laptop and the charger, and there’s a bag of stuff in the bathroom, medth, toothbrush, that thort of thing.”

“That’s not too hard to remember. You sure there’s nothing else?”

“No.” He said solumnly, “Everything else hath memorieth tied to it. I’m new, you thaid tho yourthelf, tho there’th no need to hold onto the old me.”

Gamzee was quiet, but then nodded against him, “I’m gonna flit then. Get my carcass back here soon, got something I wanna talk to you about anyway.”

Sollux hummed his affirmation and the bed creaked when Gamzee left him. He left the door open a crack and Sollux stayed in bed for a while before he got dressed himself. Down in the west wing, there was a jadeblood who he’d talked to a few times. She was nice. She wasn’t painted, but she and her kin worked as medical personnel on call for the gang as the elder of the two was Mindfang’s matesprit. They all called her Mother, but she asked Sollux the first time they met to simply refer to her as Rosa.

He liked Rosa, she was nice. And to see another troll around here who wasn’t Painted, but here through connections was a blessing. Her daughter, who he found out was the result of herself and Mindfang. Kanaya was her name, and she was a bit of a spitfire. She was soft and kind, but she had such passion about some things. It was amazing to see her talk because she’d get lost in her words and explanations.

Sollux found himself spending a good deal of the few days he’d been here, there with them. And that’s where he headed after Gamzee had left.

* * *

 The apartment wasn’t empty.

Gamzee stiffened, back going rigid as his eyes scanned the dark main room. Things were clean, dishes put away. Boxes were stacked and set in a nice order. Someone had obviously been here. A deep silent inhale. They were still here.

“You’re trespassing, you know that?” He called.

“I could say the same about you.” A voice answered.

He stepped around to look in the living room. The troll that had been watching Sollux’s house sat on his couch with one leg propped up on the other’s knee. Her cane set across them with a necklace dangling from the dragon’s teeth. A necklace Gamzee recognized.

“You shouldn’t be here.” He said, moving around the hive as if she wasn’t there. “I used a key. Which is something a quadrant does. You ain’t. He’ll be pissed. Leave now and I won’t be informing him of this little meeting.”

“And if I pin Slick’s death on him? What will you do then Makara? You can’t save him from everything.” Terezi ran her finger down the chain of the pendant.

Gamzee stopped, sitting on the edge of Sollux’s bed, setting clothes into a backpack. He watched her on the couch in the living room, glaring her down with shining eyes. Not that it mattered, she couldn’t see him anyway. She smiled, baring teeth.

“What will you do Makara? What will you do if we post for his head? He killed the leader of the Midnight Crew. The blood is on his hands.”|

“How would you know which one’a us killed that stitched up motherfuck?”

Terezi set her cane down, leaning on it, watching in his direction.

“Thing is chucklefuck,” she spat, the word like venom. “I’ve known our little Apple Berry Blast for sweeps. Far longer than you ever dream of being with him. I know how he works. I know that if I were to put him on the stand, he’d snap like the scrawny twig he is under the pressure of it all. And I know he can’t possibly be doing this. You’ve fucked his head over and you have him in your clutches.”

She paused, tilting her head to sneer at him.

“But I know Sollux, and I know you won’t keep him. No one can keep that boy contained. He’ll do wants, when he wants and not a moment sooner. He’d make a fantastic lawyer, stubborn and snarky. Don’t you for a second think that you’ve won.”

Gamzee walked past her, pack slung over his shoulder with all he needed. He stopped in the middle of the kitchen and turned back to her, “And if you find he’s innocent?”

“Caught up with the Paintings is enough to brand him with an awful stigma. He won’t get a job after he gets away from you. And that would be your fault Makara. You’ve tainted him.”

A smirk cracked across his face, “Tainted and Painted my little piglet.”  
  
Terezi climbed to her feet, calling after him, “You won’t get away with this!”

With the door open, the handle in his hand he turned, stepping back up to her. He snatched the pendant off her cane and leaned in to hiss in her ear, “The boy _is mine_.”

Gamzee turned tail and slammed the door on his retreat.

Terezi stood in the middle of the apartment, second guessing just how much she knew Sollux Captor.


	14. Kings and Gods

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (On Hiatus)

“You’re not hurt.” She said matter-of-factly.

Sollux blinked at her quickly before looking himself over, “Thtunning deduction ma’am, and you’re right.”  
  
“Shoo.” She gestured to the door.

“Wait, what?”

“You are going to be in under my feet and I have a lot of working on it’s way in. You’re not hurt, shoo.” The tall troll urged him.

He planted his feet and looked up at her, “I’m not going anywhere. You’ve thaid you’ve enjoyed my company the latht few dayth and I’m not leaving jutht becauthe you’ll have thome blood on your handth. Hey, look at it thith way, polithe training I at leatht have the bathicth of medical care. I can help if that’th what you’re worried about.”

The Dolorosa put a hand to her forehead sighing.

“Go wash your hands, have Kanaya help you get ready. We’ve got the scraps of a shoot out against the Midnight Crew on their way back in. Apparently it should be noted that when you kill the leader, the underlings tend not to be so happy with you.”  
  
Sollux nodded quickly and backed out of the room. He nearly tripped over Kanaya who was standing in the hallway. “O-oh! KN, Mother told me to come athk you to give me pointerth on how to clean up proper tho I can help you two out.”

“She said for me to help you get ready, not tell you and set you loose.” Kanaya grabbed his arm, leading him into the bathroom and turning the water on.

“Who pithed in your thereal thith morning?” He griped, pulling his arm away to roll his sleeves up.

“It is not that someone pissed in my breakfast Sollux, it is that you are nosing into things you shouldn’t.”

Sollux washed his hands and up his arms next to her. He stopped halfway through, “Do you mean in thith, or in the gang?”

Kanaya pulled on a pair of gloves, “He’s dangerous. This whole gang is. You shouldn’t be here, it’s not safe.”

“You theem to be doing alright.” He gestured, shaking water off his hands before pulling on a pair of gloves too.

“I was born into this. This mess is all I know and if I can spare someone else, I will. My patron is Mindfang herself Sollux. Mother and I don’t really have a choice but to help because Mother still pities Mindfang dearly. You don’t have to do this.”

“But... I’ve got GZ. He thaid he’d take care of me. I don’t know what you’re tho worried about.” Sollux’s brow furrowed.

Kanaya sighed, letting her hands drop in exasperation. She looked up at him, then shook her head, “Fine then. Stay. But when things go sour for you, please don’t come to me looking for comfort because I will remind you that I told you this much: He’s dangerous and you’re making a mistake by staying.”

For some odd reason that struck a chord with him. He snapped his glove and turned to her, leaning on the sink, “Kanaya, you don’t know him.”

“You assume as much.”

“You don’t know him like I do.” He corrected himself.

She stood idle for a moment before shaking her head a little, “I repeat, you assume as much.”

Kanaya left the room without another words and before he could catch her and ask her what she meant, she was already in with Mother, talking to her about the more gruesome details of the shoot out that had went down.

Before he knew what to do with himself Sollux was swept up into the chaos of the medical ward down here in the main branch. He was a big help though. Pulling bullet fragments out that neither The Dolorosa or Kanaya could reach with a quick flash of red and blue. Slices were closed and gauze was wrapped and trolls and humans alike were slapped upside the head for being a bunch of whiny grubs about the whole ordeal. If you can’t handle the heat, stay out of the kitchen and if you can’t take a bullet, don’t carry a gun.

Her hand was heavy when it landed on his shoulder, pulling him a little, "You did well Sollux." She sounded as exhausted as he felt, but nonetheless genuinely impressed with his display.

"I didn't lothe my lunch in thome guy'th woundth." He rolled his eyes, shaking his head. He rubbed at his neck, sore from helping out.

"THAT would be doing well. These idiots need someone to bash their heads together. If you lead a life of crime, expect some backlash. No one seems to get that." Mother pulled her hair back into a ponytail, letting it fall over her shoulder, "So yes, you did well. Take the compliment."

He sighed lightly, bobbing his head, "Alright, alright."

A silence drifted between them then, and Sollux broke it with a small clearing of his throat, "Tho you, you're Mindfang'th heart, right?"

"I believe I told you as much this morning, yes." She busies herself cleaning things up and putting the mess back where it should be. Gauze and needles and alcohol.

"Do you... do you know if I'd be able to talk to her? I mean, I really need to talk to her."

The Dolorosa stilled in her movements arching an eyebrow at him over her shoulder, "That would depend I'm afraid."

"On?"

"On WHY you would like to see her. She is not so hospitable as I towards the rest of the gang regardless of being technically Painted herself, whereas I am not." She dried her hands off, setting the towel on the counter, then leaned on it, crossing her arms, "Why do you want to speak with my matesprit Mr. Captor?"

Sollux paled in the face of the older troll, feeling the weight of her stare baring down on him. He swallowed hard and straightened his back, "Ma'am, I don't have to answer to you. I need to thee her, badly. It'th about thomething very important that I'd rather no one but she and I know about. If you'd kindly take the hint and butt out, that'd be fantathtic."

The troll shook her head as if she'd been hit and looked at him, dumbfounded. Jade and gold ripped him apart, silent as the grave. She let her hands fall and turned away from him, "You know where the door is. Mindfang will be in later. Come back then."

He took the hint and left without another word.  
  
Now he needed to go find Gamzee.

* * *

  
"No, fuck you and your formalitieth, where the hell ith GZ?" Sollux hissed at the smaller troll, an olive with a long braid and a chunk missing out of one of her horns.

"Seriously Mist- Sollux, I don't have a clue where Two-Face has gotten off to. He doesn't show his face around here most days. He's a busy troll. I've been in this gang for two and a half sweeps and I've barely seen him a dozen times." She griped back, trying not to use titles.

Sollux had yet to recieve a title, as he wasn't quiet a member yet. Gamzee's title was Two-Face. And Jarack was known for being The Grand Highblood. Most of the big shot members and leaders had titles. From what he understood, Dualscar was a title, but his real name was unknown. And Mindfang was just a mess of names herself.

He growled, throwing his hands away, "Go fucking figure. That athhole ith NOT going to be doing thith to me. If he want'th a hatemate thith bad, I'm right fucking here. He can't leave me alone all the time. Jethuth, jutht take me with you!"

The olive shifted uneasily while he ranted and he snapped his teeth at her, sparking. The sparks made her whimper a little, psionics not something everyone saw daily. Especially around here.

"If you don't know where he ith, tell me who would."

She shook her head, offering her hands in a display of submission. Her voice shook when she spoke now, "Honestly S-Sollux, I don't have a clue where he is. Maybe if you can find one of his patrons, they might know? Grand Highblood left a few hours after Two-Face, but The Old Goat never leaves his room. I-I'd check with him."

He stared at her, flat colors unmoving. She took the hint and pointed, "Up the stairs, top floor before the roof, last door at the end of the hall. You can't miss it."

Sollux pushed her back against the wall and took off up the stairs, not upset with her, but his neglectful spade. If he wanted this quadrant so bad, where the hell was he all the time? He said he'd be here for Sollux, he'd take care of him. He was a right liar!

Three flights of stairs up and he turned to the next and saw the let out for the roof above. He turned and sure enough at the end of the hall was a set of ornate wooden doors with goat heads carved into them. He sloped down the hallway slowly, suddenly second guessing pestering someone as important as the grand patron of his kismesis about something so petty.

Before he had more time to whine about it internally he'd knocked twice.

There was no answer for a minute, but eventually a voice from the other side came, cracked and filled with dust, "Come in."

He pushed the door open slowly, heavier than he'd expected. Sollux left it part way open, slipping into the room through the crack. It was dark, and there was an old troll sitting in a bed in the corner of the room. His horns must have weighed a ton! Wrinkled and ragged looking, tired and worn. He was certainly an old soul. Deep purple, near black eyes watched him.

Sollux shuffled in, hands behind his back, "Thir?"

"What is it boy?" He elongated his A and O, an odd little waver to them.

"I came to athk if you might know the whereaboutth of my thpade?"

"I have not seen the Gods in many moons little one." He sounded like death itself, so very weak.

"The... Godth? I don't have a clue what you mean." Sollux craned his neck to look at him.

The elder looked as if he was made out of glass bones, paper skin and crumbling sand. He could see that he had probably once held a lot of fire, a strong jaw and long limbs like his younger counterparts. But now he was sickly thin and his skin was scarred and pale. His hair hung in thick greasy lines around him, even thicker and longer than The Grand Highblood's.

He coughed and it made Sollux's heart ache for how much that sounded like it hurt. He coughed and hacked and Sollux shuffled, wincing at each wheezed inhale. He considered offering his help, but by the time he did, the old one had stopped, pulling his handkerchief away from his mouth where it had muffled his distress. It wasn't before Sollux saw the thick globs of blood in the cloth though. The psionic rubbed his cheek, averting his gaze like he'd seen something he shouldn't have.

"The False King," He said quietly, difficult to understand, "is full of lies and deceit. He wants to rend you, us all, limb from limb and dismembered body from mind."

Sollux listened to him speak, trying to commit it all the memory, even with how lost he was.

"He will have us in pieces in his hands, and he'll raise his hands to the sun and we will be in Paradise. He will take us to our Haven, the False King, and once there, the Gods will smile on us with their wicked teeth and mirthful laughter and all will be well."

He turned to look up at Sollux standing beside his bed and smiled, the wrinkles in his face pulling at the edges, bunching in places. A small spark of life was shivering in the pit of his eyes, but it was still there, still standing firm after countless sweeps. Sollux returned the smile lightly, but shook his head.

"I'm really thorry, but thith... Falthe Kingth and Godth, I don't know what you mean."

His smile widened and he nodded towards the doorway, "He comes."

Sollux looked between the doorway and the old troll a few times and was going to question until he heard footsteps in the hallway. He stepped up the doorway to slip out to see who it was only to have the door pulled from his hand when it opened without effort. He stumbled back, eyes wide.

"Gamzee!"

He smiled a toothy grin at his little firework before his eyes locked on the eldest. Sollux looked between them and Gamzee asked quietly, "What has he been spouting about?"

"Well-"

"I await my seat in Paradise patiently." Came his tired voice.

"Old man, you need to find a place to hole yourself up in better. This nonsense you keep gabbing at my boys, it's going to confuse them. Twisting their heads up. There is no False King, there are no Gods and there is no Paradise. You need to get your pan outta your motherfucking nook and croak already." Gamzee hissed, his nose twitching with a snarl.

"Woah, GZ-"

Gamzee grabbed Sollux's wrist and pulled him towards the door. He yanked his hand free and turned to the eldest Makara. He smiled a knowing smile and the spark in his eyes died out, the life from his face dying when he muttered quietly,

"Goodbye our Golden Prince."

The door was shut behind them and Sollux stopped their retreat halfway down the hall away from his room, snarling up at him, “Handth off!” He punctuated with a spark.

Gamzee stopped, looking down at him, his brow furrowed in confusion.

“Where the hell do you keep fucking off to?” Sollux said quickly, “Unleth you blindthide me in the rethpiteblock, I never thee your clown ath. What the fuck Gamzee?”

He blinked a few times at the sudden anger, “I’ve got business on the outside I’m working out. You’d be so motherfucking shocked, fireworks aside, at how hard it is to convince these motherfuckers you’re in this shit for the long haul.”

Sollux paused, turning his head like he hadn’t heard what was just said, “Excuthe me?”  
  
The juggalo laughed, a loud honking laugh that echoed in the hall before he shoved his hands in his pockets and sloped away, “You’re so fucking awful sometimes my delicious dual bro.”

“No, no. Run that shit by me again chucklefuck! You mean to tell me, that there are people above you that you’re trying to convinthe to let me join? I thought I wath already in thith shit!”

Sharp eyes looked over his shoulder and he stopped, “You’re an ex-oinker. ‘Course no one wants you around. Think your ass a little rat. They don’t trust you.”

“Tho inthtead of taking me with you to convinthe them mythelf, with my own wordth, you’re trying to get them to thee it with jutht what you thay?” Sollux jogged to catch up, grabbing his arm, digging claws in, “You’re even more rotted out than I thought!”

He hissed, snapping to look at him, “You can’t go.” It screamed finality.

“Like hell I can’t!” He stood in front of him, blocking his path down the stairs.

“I’m talking to motherfuckers that don’t much like pigs, or little golden boys. You’re staying your scrawny ass here Captor.” Gamzee spoke and his voice was edged with ice.

Sollux gestured wide to the everything around here, “You let me have free roam of all thethe fuckerth,” He pointed a claw down the hall, “You let me take a chanthe with THAT, and you don’t trutht me to be able to hold my own againtht one of thothe athholeth?”

Gamzee listened, the twitch of muscle in his jaw only made Sollux even more upset.

“Kind of a nathty little red move, won’t you thay? Making sure I don’t get hurt? Thinking me too weak to go up againtht the big boyth to defend my own name?” He took an accusing tone.

To be honest, there was a time or two he could say he felt red for Gamzee. It was hard not to with all the dreams he’d endured and how even now Gamzee kept him here to keep him safe from the world. What the two had was confusing, and he tried not to talk about it. If he said it was black, that’s what it was. If he hated Sollux, that was that. But he couldn’t keep quiet about how the troll who was supposed to be around for him, was always away.

His scoff actually hurt, “You’re thinking I’m tipping scarlet for you Sol?”

“You’d let me fight my own battleth if we were black and you know it.” The psionic watched him over his glasses.

He was fast. Faster than Sollux had seen him before and the air left him in a harsh rush when Gamzee slammed him back into the wall, “Black means I can do this.” He hissed, and bit into his shoulder hard enough Sollux cried out. He licked the blood off his teeth, “Black also means, that if I know you’d be getting your ribs ripped off your self one by one while they laugh their mocking motherfucking chuckles all up in your broken face, that I’m not gonna let you go in there.”

Gamzee grabbed Sollux’s face, squeezing his jaw until he sparked forcefully, licking the corner of his mouth, “So don’t you dare go pointing an accusatory claw at me for being tender with you. Anything but.” He pushed his head away, bouncing it off the wall behind him.

Sollux crackled, snapping his teeth. A coil of psionics scorched along his hand and he hissed back, a smile across all those bared gleaming teeth. Gamzee let him down away from the wall, licking his hand, dragging his cold tongue along the burn. Sollux dabbed at the bite in his shoulder and his torn collar but said nothing. The highblood knew this gang better than he, no matter how much he’d like to argue. He knew facts and records. Gamzee knew people.

“Now, if you’re done with making me out to be a nice guy, I’ve got a surprise for you. Gonna keep being ungrateful for what I’ve been doing?” The clown smiled lightly.  
  
The yellowblood’s eyebrows furrowed, “What do you mean?”


End file.
